Shadow and Thief
by andrhats
Summary: Sheik is lost - incredibly so. Chasing after a Yiga spy into the open desert, behind enemy lines, was a mistake. However, what's done is done and he can do little else but keep moving. Little does he know he's being watched from a distance by a Gerudo who shouldn't even exist...
1. Lost

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.**

* * *

 **Shadow and Thief  
Part 1**

* * *

 _Well, shit,_ Sheik thought as he looked around, wiping sweat from his brow. Sand. Nothing but sandy dunes in every direction, no matter where he looked. _I am_ so _lost..._

His careful optimism from earlier that morning was rapidly fading in the face of his continued failure to find his team, from which he'd been separated just after dawn. The Yiga rat had been too fast for him to follow, leaving him far behind after a few hours of relentless pursuit. Losing his quarry after running off without permission from the team leader was bad enough, but once he linked back up with them and they found out he'd gotten hopelessly lost...well, he highly doubted he'd be allowed out in the field again anytime soon.

It wasn't his fault, though! The wind had erased both his and the Yiga's tracks, and the Yiga had taken advantage of this by leading him around in circles before finally vanishing in a series of rocky outcroppings after dropping a smoke bomb. How the hell they'd managed to give Sheik the slip was a damned mystery, since there were no caves or anything else for them to disappear into, just a series of crevices and tight spaces between the rocks that didn't lead anywhere in particular. One minute they'd been there, the next they were gone.

...and Sheik had no idea where the hell he was.

The only comfort he could draw from how thoroughly he'd been tricked by the Yiga was the fact that they did not appear to be the vengeful sort, since they hadn't reappeared after leaving Sheik in the dust. They'd simply been eager to get away from him, likely fearing the rest of Sheik's team being in hot pursuit...

That wasn't very likely. After all, Sheik had gone after the bastard on his own, without alerting the others. It had been a split-second decision he'd made the moment he'd laid eyes upon the red-clad traitor, who'd been spying on them. The time it'd taken to wake the others would have given the Yiga more than ample time to slip away, and he couldn't let that happen!

...or so he'd been thinking, but the Yiga was a lot faster than their bulk had suggested, easily keeping ahead of Sheik as they raced over the dunes and through rocky trenches, none of which he was able to find again.

Cursing under his breath, he stopped at the very top of the next dune, shielding his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun as he turned around in a complete circle, hoping to spot something, anything, he could use as a landmark to hopefully gain _some_ idea of where the hell he was. The map he carried was useless since the territory he was currently in was so far behind enemy lines no one really knew what was there!

At least he hadn't encountered the enemy yet—it'd be hard to explain his presence in Gerudo lands when there was (ostensibly) a ceasefire between them and Hyrule. Were he lucky, he'd be captured and executed immediately as a spy. If he were _unlucky_...well, he'd heard the stories of what the Gerudo did to their captives. They weren't pretty, especially if a Sheikah happened to that captive. To say there was bad blood between their peoples would be an understatement, especially with the Yiga running amok, giving both of the clans a bad name.

Still nothing. In the far distance, which was difficult to gauge because of the way the haze of heat made the world ripple, he could see mountains. According to the sun, which was close reaching its zenith, those mountains were to the west, which was the exact opposite direction he wanted to go. Putting them at his back should, theoretically, ensure that he kept going east, back to the frontline where he'd left the team...but the problem was keeping himself walking in a straight line. No matter how hard he tried, he kept veering off to the left or right, and he never seemed to realise it until he'd walked in a big circle.

Absolutely infuriating, it was.

 _Should have given up after the first five minutes,_ he thought bitterly, reaching for the flask on his belt. Not even a tenth full. They were going to refill their water supply later that day, at a nearby oasis that was considered neutral territory. He took two small sips, trying not to focus too much on how merciless the temperature was, the sun beating down on him like it was personally trying to melt him into a puddle. The ever-present wind did little to help, just as warm.

He'd arranged his uniform's scarf into something resembling a turban to protect his skin from getting burned, but that only made the heat feel so much worse. It was stifling under his mask, almost hard to breathe, but he could not give up the sense of security it gave him. He'd abandoned the leather greaves a few hours earlier, the weight only slowing him down, and he was strongly tempted to do the same with the spaulders, but he didn't want to risk encountering either a Yiga or a Gerudo without _some_ form of protection.

He looked back in the direction he'd come, seeing the same infuriating curve he kept walking in rapidly disappearing thanks to the wind. If he wasn't careful, he wouldn't even notice how badly off-track he kept wandering. Embarrassing, really.

He'd been prepared for the Gerudo Desert to be a hostile environment, but this was ridiculous—how was he supposed to even find his way when the very elements seemed dead-set on keeping him wandering blindly like this?

He turned once more, making sure his back was firmly pointed at the western mountains, and began to walk once more. Sooner or later, he _had_ to find the correct path, right? Or at least something to set him on the direction to it?

Little did he know he was being observed from a distance.

* * *

Atiya lowered himself to the sand so that only the top his head peeked up from behind the dune, letting him watch the strange Sheikah boy without being spotted. Not that he needed to, since this particular shadow seemed to be thoroughly unobservant...and had absolutely no sense of direction, apparently, judging from the way he kept walking in ever-widening circles.

Atiya had been following the Sheikah for a good three hours now, having picked up his trail while out hunting.

He'd been patiently stalking the series of rocky hills where a certain species of large lizards liked to rest in the shade, spear at the ready to catch a veritable feast for supper when he'd heard him. A weary, out of breath Sheikah stumbling along the sand, making enough of a racket to scare Atiya's prey away. He'd hidden and observed him for a while, wondering what he was doing all the way out here. Was he after Atiya?

But when the Sheikah simply stumbled by in an aimless stupor, barely paying attention to his surroundings, Atiya was convinced the boy was simply lost.

That should have been it, really. Atiya should have made his attack right then and subdued the Sheikah, and then brought him back to the fortress. Gan would certainly be happy with him for performing well...and it'd certainly soften the punishment he'd undoubtedly receive for sneaking out of the city without permission, it being during wartime and all that. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last. The only thing that could keep Atiya permanently within the city walls would be to lock him up in the fortress, but even Gan wouldn't go that far to keep him safe.

At least Atiya hadn't gone near the warfront this time, staying well away in his quest for...well, adventure, really. He couldn't stand being cooped up in the city for too long, wanderlust seizing him in its strong grip as he felt an overwhelming urge to get out there and explore! A few days out of the city was usually enough, and he relished it whenever he had the opportunity to go.

Besides, it wasn't like Atiya didn't know how to survive in the wild...unlike this Sheikah.

Truthfully, it was curiosity that stayed Atiya's hand. He'd never actually met a Sheikah before, or gotten to observe them outside of the bodyguards sent to guard Hyrulian dignitaries and diplomats...and Atiya wasn't allowed to attend _those_ sessions for obvious reasons, despite how much he begged Gan. But here he was, presented with an opportunity to watch one his people's most hated enemies in action.

So far, he was _not_ impressed.

He'd grown up hearing stories of how the hated Sheikah were brutally efficient killers, able to adapt and survive no matter what environment they found themselves in. Persistent, intelligent, and an innate stubbornness so strong it put some of the veteran Gerudos to shame. An absolute nightmare to encounter on the battlefield, or to find looming above your bed in the night.

The Royal Family of Hyrule had made them their protectors and personal assassins for a reason, and they always had to be taken into account whenever a move was made against the kingdom. Atiya had heard Gan bemoaning the red-eyed shadows during more than one war council, and found himself wondering just how terrified he himself would be if he ever encountered one.

Not very, as it turned out.

He was more amused than anything, watching as the boy made clumsy attempts to correct his path, only to end up slowly turning back east. Granted, this particular part of the desert was confusing like that; the tall dunes kept the mountains out of sight, and forced the wanderer to go _around_ them rather than over. It was incredibly easy to be misled that way, but Atiya had thought that the terrifying predator known as a Sheikah would have no trouble overcoming it.

Again, he was not impressed.

 _He's going to die out here,_ Atiya thought. _No supplies, barely any water...and he doesn't even know where he's going._

The Sheikah disappeared behind one of the smaller dunes, and Atiya quickly changed position—racing along the crest of the huge dune until he caught sight of the boy again.

Because that's what he was—a boy. His short stature and slight build weren't indicators of his age in and of themselves, but his voice was easily carried by the wind, and Atiya would be damned if that voice belonged to an adult. He was also surprised (and a little alarmed) by the sheer amount of swear words the Sheikah knew.

How had he even ended up out here? As far as Atiya knew most Sheikah operated in teams of four or more when out in the field. Where were the others? Atiya had not seen any signs of them. What were they doing in Gerudo territory? Wasn't there a ceasefire on? Or had it been broken while Atiya was out here?

His mind raced with these questions as he kept a firm grip on his spear, watching. It was almost noon, and the sun would be at its highest. Heat was going to keep building up for most of the afternoon, only cooling down once the sun set. It was usually around this time a sensible person would take shelter somewhere with shade and wait until the temperature became bearable again...but this idiot didn't seem to have any such intention, stubbornly trying to forge ahead with absolutely no clue of how much danger he was in.

It'd be a mercy, really, capturing him. Atiya could easily get the drop on him before the Sheikah even had time to draw the sword on his back. He couldn't imagine there being much of a fight, really, especially once Atiya promised him food and water. Well, water, at least. Atiya's hunt hadn't really gone that well, on account of two noisy interruptions that had sent his prey scurrying into the rocks.

And Gan would be _so_ proud...

...but what then? The ceasefire had been hard-won, and fragile beyond imagination. One of the stipulations from both sides was the withdrawal of troops from each other's territories...but this Sheikah was deep behind Gerudo lines. Was this an attack? Or was the boy and his team here to spy on them? That alone would get him executed for espionage, possibly even tortured first.

Atiya didn't want that for the boy, intruder that he was. Perhaps it was all just a mistake? That wouldn't matter, though, if he were captured. It could ignite the fighting all over again, and Atiya knew for a fact that Gan couldn't win if it did. The Gerudo were already on the verge of defeat by the time the ceasefire came into effect, giving them a reprieve. It was supposed to be a prelude to a more permanent peace agreement, but that was still a long way off as both sides licked their wounds and prepared for the negotiations.

The talks were to be had in a few months, and Gan was already at his wit's end trying to come up with leverage over Hyrule, to stop them from simply walking all over the Gerudo. They had a larger army, more supplies, better equipment...the Gerudo had an iron will, however, which had kept them alive up until now. Gan had nothing, though, and Atiya wished he could do something to help...

...perhaps the Sheikah? He could be carrying valuable intelligence, and if not...well, the shadows were a dwindling race, fiercely protecting their numbers to the best of their ability. If the Gerudo revealed they'd captured one of their spies, perhaps that would be enough leverage to get a fair deal out of the negotiations?

He shook his head. Thoughts for later, those. Right now, he was content to watch the boy some more, curiosity overcoming everything else.

The wind was picking up, though it did not bring any sort of cooling relief. Adjusting his pack over his lightweight robe, Atiya tugged at the cloth of his turban until it covered the lower half of his face as well, protecting it from the sand.

The boy was trying to climb one of the larger dunes, perhaps in an attempt to gain a better view of the surrounding area. Not a bad idea, really. Hopefully he'd catch sight of the rocky outcroppings just to the north-east of their position, where he could take shelter. He'd be stupid not to. Atiya certainly intended to do so.

He needed to get closer. Atiya rose from his prone position and slid down the dune expertly, almost failing to contain his shout of excitement, the thrill almost getting the better of him. He landed at the bottom of the dune and took off running after the boy, climbing the same dune, though at a different, less steep angle to conserve his energy and limit overheating from exertion.

The trek through the clearly unfamiliar conditions was taking its toll on the Sheikah, whose steps were getting slower and slower as he reached the peak of the dune, shoulders low. Even from this distance Atiya could hear the boy's laboured breathing. He could only shake his head, wondering what the Sheikah were thinking, sending someone so unprepared into the desert.

It did serve to fuel Atiya's suspicions of the boy's presence here being a mistake, however. It had to be, unless there was something else going on here. His imagination wasn't able to conjure up anything plausible, however.

His urge to just outright ask was growing stronger.

* * *

 _Am I getting anywhere at all?_ Sheik wondered, depressed to find that climbing the tallest dune offered nothing in terms of landmarks or answers. A minor (extremely so, mind you) spike of panic was starting to drive itself into his chest as he slowly came to realise that, while his team couldn't be that far away, they had no way of tracking him...and he was rapidly running out of water. That worried him the most, to be honest.

Well, perhaps it wouldn't be too much of a problem in the immediate future. In the far distance, over the mountains, dark clouds were forming. He could only hope that the rain was heading his way. If they didn't...well, dying of thirst was supposedly one of the worst ways to die...

 _Why did I run off?_ he thought, clenching his jaw. _I should have shouted something, at least. Kafei would have woken up—bastard's the lightest sleeper in the world!_

Prepared to keep beating himself up, he made to climb down the dune again, hoping he could find some shade or something else to protect him from the sun, which seemed to be growing hotter and hotter. The sand was probably absorbing and retaining the heat before reflecting it back or...something. Gods, he couldn't even remember the lecture he'd gotten from Impa before she'd let him set out on the patrol mission in the first place.

The Yiga just _had_ to start messing around in this region, didn't they? Bad enough Hyrule was fighting the Gerudo without the traitors meddling with it all. They were _so_ close to attaining peace, too...

His thoughts occupied, he didn't pay too much attention to where he walked, and failed to shift his weight correctly as his foot sank a little deeper into the sandy dune than he expected, pitching him off balance...and sending him tumbling down the dune in a flailing mass of limbs, hair, and snarled curses.

Dizzy, he came to a stop near the bottom with a mouthful of sand, unable to really fathom what had just happened, or how ridiculous he'd just looked. Spitting out the sand, he let out a litany of curses that would put any sailor to shame.

And then he heard it.

Laughter.

Someone had just watched him take the most embarrassing tumble of his life...and they were _laughing_ at him. He glanced up at the dune he'd just fallen down, certain the sound was coming from there.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I know you're there! Show yourself!"

He wasn't sure who or what he expected to emerge from the hiding place, but he highly doubted they would be friendly. He still felt his heart sinking when a figure came into view at the top of the dune. Covered in light-purple robes and wearing a white turban that obscured most of their features, there was little doubt as to whom had found him. A Gerudo—and not a harmless one either, judging from the spear in her hand and the scimitar in her belt.

There was a moment of silence and inaction, during which Sheik briefly considered running, but that moment came and went as the Gerudo suddenly moved, jumping forward and sliding down the sand like it was slippery as ice, surging straight towards him.

His hand found his sword as years of training kicked in, and he steeled himself.

* * *

Atiya hadn't meant to give his presence away just yet, intending to wait until the Sheikah was too tired to fight before putting his plan into action. However, when the boy had taken an awkward step and gone rolling downhill with the most _annoyed_ grunt Atiya had ever heard, he'd found it impossible to keep his laughter from bubbling up, and when he'd heard yet another string of curses from the surprisingly melodious voice, said with such conviction that the universe conspiring against him, the dam had burst and he laughed out loud like a damned fool. Too loud.

"Hey! I know you're there! Show yourself!"

The jig was up, and Atiya could do little but climb the dune and reveal himself to the Sheikah, making sure that his pose was relaxed and not openly hostile.

Easier said than done, given the spear he was carrying, but he didn't exactly have anywhere to put it, now did he?

 _At least he's not hurt,_ Atiya thought, seeing no signs of injuries on the Sheikah's body. _Other than his pride, that is,_ he added, chuckling a little.

Steeling himself, Atiya waited for any sign of hostility from the Sheikah, but the boy stood ramrod straight, eyes narrowed. Not surprising. Two enemies encountering each other like this... Even from this distance, Atiya could tell the Sheikah was studying him, and he made sure his turban was firmly fastened so his face wasn't visible. Gan had never failed to let Atiya of the importance of _that_.

He was about to introduce himself, to put the Sheikah at ease, when he noticed the sand a few feet away from the boy shifting in a circular pattern, beginning to move towards him. Instinct took over, and Atiya was already sliding down the dune before he realised what he was doing. The Sheikah hadn't even noticed yet, and it'd be too late to react by the time Atiya could warn him.

The Leever's head was already out of the sand by the time Atiya raced past the Sheikah, its maw opening to reveal several circular rows of teeth and preparing to pounce on him. Atiya's spear found its mark just in time, driving the creature back with a squeal, the tip buried deep in its gut. It writhed at the end of the long pole, red blood spilling onto the sand, before wrenching itself off it and burrowing back into the ground, the characteristic grunting noises slowly fading away as the monster clearly decided the meal wasn't worth it.

Atiya wasn't satisfied with that, however. Where there was one Leever—

He ducked just as the Sheikah's blade cleaved through the air where his neck had been, spinning around to face the boy and brandishing his spear.

What the hell was he doing?!

"What's the matter with you?!" he shouted in Common Hylian, knowing his pronunciation of the tongue was less than perfect. "I just saved your life!"

The Sheikah's eyes, red as blood, flashed dangerously as he glared back at him, sword at the ready. "Just so you could capture me instead," he growled. "I know your kind, thief!"

 _Big mouth for someone so out of his depth_ , Atiya thought, narrowing his eyes at being called a thief.

"At least we're not murderers!" he shot back, unable to keep his mouth shut at the insult. That was surprising—usually it was the opposite.

...what was _he_ doing? He hadn't meant to start a fight! He'd just wanted to keep the idiot alive before he ended up in a monster's stomach.

The Sheikah didn't deign to reply to that, choosing instead to attack with a quick flurry of swings with his sword. Its blade was curved, but also very slim, which made it quite light, allowing him to swing it much faster than Atiya could hope to match with his spear. He managed to keep the Sheikah at bay for a little while, but he soon managed to slip inside Atiya's defences, forcing him to drop his spear and draw his scimitar instead.

 _Good fighter, though,_ Atiya begrudgingly thought as their blades clashed with a loud clang, sunlight catching on the metal in a dazzling display. Side-stepping a jab at his stomach, Atiya aimed a two-handed diagonal blow at the Sheikah's left shoulder. The Sheikah spun out of harm's way and they both pulled back, sizing each other up.

What little visible skin on the Sheikah's face was absolutely drenched with sweat, and his colour was red from the exertion of fighting in such heat. Atiya could feel his own body heating up to an intolerable degree.

This was stupid. They were wasting valuable energy and fluids by doing this, and he still hadn't made sure they weren't alone here. He had to do something.

"Look," Atiya tried, "we got off on the wrong foot, here. I've been watching you for a while—"

"Oh, you have, have you? Trying to find the perfect moment to ambush me?" the Sheikah asked, eyes narrowing even further. Atiya wondered how he was able to see through such a narrow gap. "Well, you failed!"

The tone was filled with so much suspicion, and Atiya couldn't help but take it personally. What had he done to earn so much ire? Surely the Sheikah was aware that _he_ was the intruder here, and in no position to hurl abuse at Atiya for protecting his home?

"I wasn't trying to capture you!" Atiya shot back. "I was just...just watching to see what you were going to do! And then the Leever appeared—"

"Convenient, huh?" Sheik said. "I bet you were controlling it, trying to gain my trust!"

 _Huh?_ Atiya thought. "What are you talking about?"

"We've heard about your witches," the Sheikah said. "Witches who can...can use magic and control people and beasts! I bet you're one of them!" He charged forward without warning, aiming an overhead blow that Atiya easily parried.

Atiya was trying to keep his distance, still not entirely committed to the fight. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, damn it!

And as for the witch comment...well, there was just too much wrong in it to even start refuting it.

It _did_ remind him to ask Gan about just how powerful Kotake and Koume were, however, because the power to control man and beast alike was _not_ something he'd seen from either of them.

The Sheikah surged forward again, and Atiya met him, their blades scraping against each other as they pushed, trying to knock the other off-balance, faces inches apart.

"I _don't_ want to fight, you idiot!" Atiya snarled. "I'm trying to save you!"

"Pull the other one," the Sheikah snarled back, "it's got bells on!"

Realising he had both height and weight on the Sheikah, Atiya used it to lean forward and _push_ , forcing the Sheikah backwards. With a yell, Atiya forced them to separate, aiming a harsh blow meant to knock the sword out of the Sheikah's hand, but the (admittedly) clever bastard simply let go of the sword just before Atiya struck it, grabbing it again with his other hand and stabbing upward. It forced Atiya to jump back, lest he get the tip punched through the bottom of his chin.

Atiya adjusted his stance for the best stability on the slippery sand, secretly impressed with how the Sheikah actually managed to keep his footing in a fight...even if he clearly wasn't able to _walk_ on it. He was about to make a comment about that when he realised the Sheikah wasn't attacking anymore. In fact, his eyes weren't even _on_ Atiya anymore.

"Uh..." the Sheikah said, intelligently.

Atiya heard the slight hiss and reacted instantly, spinning around on his feet and lashing out with the scimitar. It cleaved through the Leever's neck like a hot knife through butter, separating its head from its body with nary a sound save for the wet thump as the newly decapitated monster fell dead to the ground.

It wasn't the same Leever from before. He _knew_ worm-like creature wasn't alone! Leevers usually moved in roaming hordes all over the desert, and if you saw one chances were that the rest of them weren't far away! The deep sand in the area had concealed their presence, and Atiya had followed the bumbling Sheikah right into their path.

Glancing up, he saw several patterns being carved through the sand as the monsters realised their presence was more or less discovered, rushing towards their prey, kicking up sand as they accelerated.

 _Shit!_

The Sheikah was in a defensive posture, but his form was flagging both from exhaustion and sheer confusion at the enemy they found themselves facing. How _did_ you react to a bunch of six-foot, writhing worms with more teeth than a lamprey that could burrow through the ground as fast as a person could run?

 _Bet you don't have those in Hyrule,_ Atiya thought as he sheathed his scimitar before grabbing the other's arm without thinking and shouting, "Come on!"

Taking off at a run while dragging the Sheikah with him, he was barely able to snatch up his spear in time to avoid a Leever who'd been waiting behind them. It nearly leapt out of its hole in an attempt to snag them and drag them underground, but its aim was off, the mouth closing around nothing.

"Don't stop running!" Atiya shouted at the Sheikah, aiming them north-east, where he knew a series of cliffs would offer them protection from the monsters. He hadn't gauged the distance, but he could only hope they weren't too far away—he wasn't sure how long he could keep up running in this heat!

It was nothing but chaos as they kept moving, dodging and weaving their way through the horde of Leevers, ears filled with the monsters' grunting—a nightmarish sound when you were facing just _one_ of the buggers!

At least the Sheikah wasn't attacking him anymore—far too busy trying not to end up as Leever food. Every now and then he struck out with his blade, or tried to hit one with a throwing dagger, but his aim was off from the exhaustion, and the creatures were wily and in their element, too fast to pin down.

Atiya made a wide sweep with his spear ahead of them, forcing a Leever that had gotten ahead to swing its undulating body aside to avoid getting the tip shoved into its gullet, letting them slip past it.

In the corner of his vision, he saw the Sheikah's blade cut one of the creatures in half as it erupted from the ground next to him. He tried not to imagine how it'd feel if the Sheikah _had_ hit him during their fight. Hopefully he'd take Atiya's statement on trying to save him seriously after this...that is, if they made it out alive.

Atiya had done many stupid things over the years, but wilfully walking into a horde of Leevers was not one of them. Not that he'd planned on it, but...Goddess, Gan could never know about this, or he'd never let Atiya out of his sight again!

"Do you actually have a plan, or are we just hoping for the best here?!" the Sheikah asked, his voice a little higher-pitched than before. His eyes were wide and continually scanning the area around them, wary of any Leevers suddenly appearing.

"Just follow me!" Atiya replied, too out of breath to properly explain the correct strategy for dealing with Leevers (that is, if you fail step number one, which just says "Don't!"). He led them between several pairs of sand dunes, hoping to the Goddess that he'd picked the right direction, and that they were quick enough and—

There!

A series of rocks and cliffs, all that remained of what had surely once been an impressive mountain eroded to nothing by the wind and sand, squatted in the middle of a large, flat area. An old, dried-up oasis, judging from the skeletons of long-dead trees rising defiantly out of the dry soil. He didn't care about those, however—the rocks were the key!

"There!" he shouted, pointing at the large outcrops. "Climb as high as you can!"

"What?! Why?!"

"Because the—"

Atiya stumbled and went tumbling along the sandy ground. Something passed through the air above him, and he felt his pack getting wrenched off his back, the leather straps snapping like they were nothing. The Leever's tail end smacked in the temple for good measure, causing his vision to swim and blacken for a moment.

So close. He'd been so close, and now he was going to end up in the stomach of a Leever...or several of them.

 _Gan...I'm sorry..._

Then he was being tugged back up, the Sheikah's voice roaring into his ears. "Get up, damn it, or do you _want_ to die?!"

 _No, I don't,_ Atiya thought, finding his feet and balance once more, letting the Sheikah drag him with him, only somewhat aware that he was leaving his supplies behind in his pack, along with his spear, which had gone flying off in...some direction or other, he had no idea.

The Leevers were right on their tail now. Atiya could hear their mouths snapping and _feel_ their breath on his neck. The Sheikah's grip on his forearm was firm and unrelenting, as if he expected Atiya to just drop if he let go.

Then their feet hit ground more solid than sand, and soon they were scrabbling over the rocky outcrop, desperately climbing out of reach of the Leevers' insatiable mouths. One tried to jump at them, but Atiya drew his scimitar and immediately cut the thing down to size, the two pieces pathetically rolling off the outcrop and curling up in their death throes, spilling blood. None of the other Leevers jumped, crowing around the spot their feet had been last, before pulling back and burying themselves into the ground once more, disappearing from sight.

Out of breath, Atiya and the Sheikah sat down on the rock, trying not to pass out. Atiya was on all fours, gulping in massive amounts of air, trying to get his head to clear up, ear still ringing from the blow he'd taken to his temple.

"They...can't follow...us?" the Sheikah asked, panting.

"Can't...burrow...through rock," Atiya replied.

The Sheikah nodded at that, leaning back, looking a little more relaxed. "That's...good..."

Quite an understatement, but Atiya was happy enough at not being worm food to let it slide. In the back of his head, his instincts told him that the prudent thing to do right was to disarm the Sheikah while he was occupied with catching his breath and tie him up, ensuring a compliant prisoner for the fortress...but he couldn't find the energy or willpower to do so. Looking at him, the Sheikah appeared to have similar thoughts based on the way he kept a firm grip on his sword, watching Atiya warily.

"Don't worry," Atiya said. It was easier to speak now that he could actually breathe again. "I'm not looking for a fight. I wasn't looking for one to begin with, to tell you the truth."

"Forgive me if I do not fully believe you, Gerudo," the Sheikah said. "Given the circumstances..."

"My name is Atiya," Atiya said, giving him his Gerudo name instead of his Hylian one, bestowed upon him when he'd been taken in by the desert dwellers. "I'd appreciate if you used it, _Sheikah_ ," he added pointedly. "Seems only fair after I saved your life and all."

The Sheikah had the decency to look ashamed at that, at least, the visible portion of his cheeks and the bridge of nose colouring slightly as he averted his eyes. It was kind of cute.

"Atiya," the Sheikah said, as if testing the name. "Sheik."

"Hm?"

"Sheik," the Sheikah repeated. "My name."

Atiya blinked. "Sheik the Sheikah?" he asked.

"Don't ask," Sheik said, rolling his eyes. "It's a long story."

"As you wish," Atiya said, closing his eyes for a moment, realising that the afternoon was far from over, and that it would only get hotter and hotter. They needed shade, as soon as possible.

"Thank you."

* * *

Sheik blinked when Atiya looked at him in surprise at his murmured thanks.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I said thank you!" Sheik said again in an annoyed tone. He hated having to repeat himself. When she appeared to be waiting for some sort of explanation, he sighed. "For...saving my life," he gritted out.

"Oh," Atiya said, cheeks twitching behind the mask of her turban. "You're welcome. I'd prefer an apology for attacking me right afterwards, but..."

Her grasp on the Common tongue was surprisingly good compared to some other Gerudo Sheik had heard speak during meetings with Princess Zelda, though her accent was unmistakeable. She kept her eyes averted as she spoke, which he found strange, but he wasn't an expert on Gerudo culture other than their battle strategies and how they fought. Perhaps their eyes weren't supposed to meet unless they had a certain relationship, or weren't enemies, or...

 _Eugh, too much bother to think about right now,_ he thought. It was almost too hot to even think straight, much less try to discern cultural faux pas after almost getting eaten by giant fucking worms...

Still, she had a point. Up until now, _he_ had been the aggressor. He truly hadn't realised there was a Leever behind him until she'd run it through with her spear, and he'd repaid that by attacking her. Not a very good first impression, even during wartime.

"Sorry," he muttered, his mask sticking uncomfortably to his face.

"Hm?"

 _Eugh, is she deaf or something?_ he wondered, repeating himself a little louder, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes once more. If Impa had seen him now, she'd tan his hide for being disrespectful to the one who'd saved his life.

...then again, he had also saved _her_ life, so...

Luckily, Atiya only seemed to find his annoyance amusing, chuckling a little. Her voice was a little deeper than Sheik had expected, but it only made her seem more...formidable, somehow? More mature?

He took a moment to study her a little closer. There wasn't much to tell based on her appearance—her purple robes and turban kept most of her features from view, but he could see that she was solidly built—she'd have to be in order to swing her heavy-looking scimitar like that. Locks of unruly, dark red hair were sticking out from the folds of the turban, and what little he could see of her face was all bronzed skin, with a little bit of the dark substance called _kohl_ around her eyelids. Her eyes were closed, but he knew he they'd be the usual golden colour of her people.

"It's okay," she finally said. "I wouldn't have assumed you were there to save me either, were I in your shoes." She stood up and looked towards the now empty stretch of desert, towards the spot where she'd dropped her pack. "Damn," she muttered. "All my food was in there."

"I'll go get it," Sheik volunteered without really knowing why. He'd been trying to kill this woman not long ago. He made to jump down to the ground, but a hand on his shoulder suddenly stopped him. Her grip was firm.

"Don't!" she said sharply. "The Leevers are still there!"

"I don't see any," Sheik said. Nothing but sand and some pathetic-looking, dead trees, surrounding what looked like a dried-out lakebed. The remains of an oasis, perhaps? "Surely they're gone?"

Atiya shook her head, bending down to pick up a sizeable rock about the size of her fist. Testing its weight, she found it satisfactory with a nod, and hurled it at the flat, sandy ground. The moment the rock hit the surface, sand exploded everywhere as Leevers emerged from cover and swarmed the spot, disappearing as quickly as they appeared upon realising it wasn't something they could eat.

"They hunt by sensing vibrations in the ground," Atiya explained. "And they are _very_ patient. We won't be able to get off this rock for quite some time."

"How long?" Sheik asked, glancing worriedly down at his flask. Barely enough water in it for a mouthful.

"Tomorrow morning?" she said, shrugging. "Hard to...er...predict?"

Why did she phrase that as a question? Language difficulties?

Sheik sighed. "Gonna run out of water before the day is over," he informed her, tapping his flask. "Not much left."

 _Barely any._

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Atiya said, reaching into her robes and pulling out a heavy-looking water skin. "Plenty for both."

That was a relief, at least, knowing they weren't going to die of dehydration...for now, anyway. He had a couple of ration bars in his dagger holster, so they were covered for food as well.

 _Wait, should I be getting this comfortable around her?_ he wondered, realising he was already beginning to relax, despite being a few feet away from an enemy combatant. Everything he'd ever been taught by Impa and his instructors said no, but so far Atiya hadn't actually taken any offensive actions against him...save for during the fight _he_ started. Surely, if she meant to kill or capture him, she'd have done so already?

Still, that didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't do it eventually. Perhaps this was all about lulling him into a false sense of security, only to ambush him later when he was at his least guarded?

 _Kind of risky, though, going after me all alone..._

That struck him as odd.

"Are you alone out here?" he asked.

She offered a half-hearted shrug. "For now," she said. "Once they find out I'm gone, I'm sure they'll send someone after me."

"Who?"

"My sisters. They don't like me going off by myself, but I hate being cooped up, so..."

Sisters...so, the entire Gerudo people, then. They all referred to each other as sisters, apparently, save for the king, who was their brother. Sheik didn't much fancy the idea of still being here when Atiya's people came looking for her.

"And you?" Atiya asked. "Are you alone?"

He considered lying and saying yes, but that struck him as a bad idea. She probably wouldn't believe that he was a single operative, not as under-equipped as he was. "I have a team," he said. "We got separated, but I was on my way to linking up with them when you...well..."

She snorted. "You were completely lost, weren't you?" she said. "When I found you, you'd been walking in circles for hours, I bet."

"That...!" Sheik growled. It was completely true, of course, but he wasn't about to admit that. "I knew where I was going," he said weakly.

"Had it all under control, huh?" she snarked.

He didn't dignify that with an answer, turning away and studying the outcrop. He needed some shade, or he was going to go insane. Unfortunately, none of the rocks were high enough to provide anything decent, and there weren't any trees save for the dead ones...in the middle of a Leever death field.

"Al'lama!"

He looked up at her. She was scanning the horizon, shielding her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The storm is picking up," she said, pointing. "Looks like rain...and thunder. And dust."

He looked where she was pointing. In the distance, the dark clouds he'd seen before the Leever ambush had formed a giant wall, heralding a thunderstorm. "That's good, isn't it?" he asked. "I mean, water's always welcome."

"Not if the dust storm comes before—it will shred us into nothing. We need shelter," Atiya said, a sense of urgency in her voice. "See if we can find a cave, or something."

They searched the outcrop for a while, finding nothing near ground-level. Atiya kept glancing up at the small rock face above them, humming under her breath. Sheik sat down, leaning against the wall, exhaustion threatening to overcome him. It was all too much.

"Wait here," Atiya said, rolling up the sleeves of her robe to reveal more bronze skin and strong-looking, compactly-muscled arms. The enduring sort, well-suited to this kind of environment. Before he could ask her what she was doing, she was already climbing the rock face. His eyes widened as she shimmied up effortlessly, like she was crawling on a horizontal surface, easily finding handholds and pulling herself upwards. Soon after she was hauling herself over a ledge and disappeared from view.

Sheik sighed, wondering if she was going to leave him behind if she found some way off this outcrop without getting mauled by Leevers. It was the smart thing to do, instead of being confined to a small space with an enemy. His training certainly told him to do so if he got the chance.

"Find anything?!" he called up to her.

It took her a while to answer, her head appearing over the edge, waving. "I found a cave!" she called back. "Or...well, more like a hole, but it'll fit us!"

* * *

Honestly, even calling it a hole was being a bit charitable, in Atiya's opinion. Really, it was more an extremely narrow opening in the cliffs leading to a tiny hollow barely big enough to fit them...but beggars couldn't be choosers. It was the only form of shelter he'd found, and they didn't have long. The wind was already strong enough to kick up the dust and sand around them, and Atiya would bet his right hand on a dust storm being imminent.

Typical, really. The one time something interesting happens on an excursion, and the elements decide to ruin everything. Would he even be able to convince Sheik to go inside? The other boy didn't seem the type to appreciate being forced into close quarters.

But what else could they do? A desert sand storm could flay the skin right off one's bones if the wind was strong enough, and Atiya wasn't in any hurry to test the one that was brewing to the north...and moving rapidly towards them.

"Is there nothing else?" Sheik asked, rising wearily to his feet and swaying slightly. The heat really was getting to him.

"I'm afraid so," Atiya replied, waving him up. "Come on, climb."

Confident the Sheikah would be smart enough to follow his instructions, Atiya returned to the small crack in the wall, looking inside. Some sort of animal had made its nest here at some point (a lizard, by the looks of it), but it was long gone. That was good, at least. Having to fight something for the shelter wasn't an appealing idea.

He took the opportunity to uncover his face and wipe it. He hadn't realised it at first, too busy worrying about not getting eaten, but his eyes would give him away the moment Sheik saw them. Dying his hair red helped from a distance, but up close anyone could tell his eyes were actually blue and not gold. That was one of the reasons Gan wouldn't let him interact with any foreign dignitaries—it'd raise questions the Gerudo had no wish to answer.

He thanked his lucky stars that Sheik was too weary from his trek through the desert to really pay attention to such details. He didn't seem to have noticed that Atiya was actually a man, either, which was...well, that was neither here nor there. Not really important, in the long run. Right now, survival was taking all priority.

 _I shouldn't trust him,_ he thought, listening to the shuffling and grunting from below, signalling that Sheik had started to climb as well. _What if he turns on me?_

Too late for such thoughts now, he knew. Likely, Sheik had similar thoughts going through his own mind. Atiya could only hope that self-restraint was considered a virtue among the Sheikah. If Sheik remained calm, so would Atiya.

He sighed, studying their shelter a little closer. They could sit next to each other in there, but that was about it. No room for a fire, which would be a problem come nightfall, if they weren't washed away by the storm by then.

"Ah...hah..."

Sheik was panting heavily when his hand finally cleared the edge, desperately trying to find something to hold onto. Atiya took hold of Sheik's wrist and braced himself, serving as an anchor so the other boy wouldn't fall. Only now did Atiya realise just how lithe Sheik's build was, and how little weight there was to him, like a mild breeze could push him over...or carry him away.

Now there was a mental image.

"Th-Thanks," Sheik said as he cleared the lip, taking a moment to catch his breath. A desert really wasn't his ideal environment, it seemed.

"Just in time," Atiya said, pointing northwards. Ahead of the rainclouds, a brown wall that filled nearly the entire horizon was rushing towards them, promising death to any unwary traveller caught in the middle of it. "Come on, get inside."

"You weren't kidding," Sheik said, squeezing himself into the crevice. "This is barely even a hole!" He moved at a slow shuffle, front and back scratching along the walls before entering the hollow.

Atiya took a series of deep breaths before expelling all the air from his lungs and crawling inside the rock, taking up as little space as possible. Even then he felt his robes snagging on the sharp, uneven surface, the fabric ripping a little. Emerging into the hollow, he let himself breathe again, nearly tripping over Sheik's legs.

The Sheikah had made himself comfortable on the hard dirt floor, removing his makeshift turban to reveal blonde tresses that appeared to have come loose from a braid, completely soaked. He ran his fingers through it, getting it out of his eyes.

Sighing, Atiya shuffled to the opposite wall, sitting down as well. Their legs nearly touched; there was barely any room to stretch out at all. Cramped as hell.

They were just in time, a moment after Atiya sat down, the wind outside began to howl, and their view through the crevice was obscured by the brown wall of dust that had descended upon them. The hollow grew dark as the storm blocked out the sun, the air taking on a suffocating heaviness from the heat. At least the entrance faced _away_ from the wind direction, so they weren't about to get blasted by sand and dust.

"That was...close," Sheik said drily, clearing his throat when his voice cracked in the dark. Atiya could barely see his outline, let alone any details.

Atiya wordlessly handed him the water skin. Fingers fumbled with the cork stopper. He'd meant to give it to Sheik earlier, but finding shelter had taken priority. Poor bastard must have been completely parched.

"Thank you," Sheik said after taking a deep sip, sighing in relief.

"You're dehydrated," Atiya said. "Drink some more."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Sheik said with a chuckle.

 _Great, now what?_ Atiya wondered after Sheik handed the skin back to him.

"How long do these storms last?" Sheik asked.

"Depends," Atiya said. "Could be over in minutes, could last for hours. Might as well get comfortable."

"Hm, I guess."

Sheik didn't sound happy. Atiya didn't blame him, not particularly thrilled with the situation himself. Trapped in _extremely_ close quarters with a sworn enemy, his equipment lost (the storm was going to _ruin_ it all), and no chance of escape until the storm _and_ the Leevers were gone...it was almost like he'd been the subject of divine punishment for disobeying Gan.

 _He really will lock me up in the fortress for this,_ he thought bitterly. His scalp was itchy, but the turban stopped him from tending to it, and he couldn't take it off because...

...well, he _could_ , couldn't he? It was too dark in here for him to see anything at all, so...surely it would be safe. It'd be nice to breathe proper air not filtered through cloth.

Taking the chance, he unwound the turban until it fell away from his head, relishing in the slightly liberating feeling of it. He wasn't fond of the heavy cloth, preferring the lighter veils he wore while in the city, but they didn't offer much in terms of protection out in the desert.

He breathed out, smiling a little to himself. He blinked when he heard a slight hitch in Sheik's breath, and he made an inquisitive sound.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"N-No, nothing," Sheik's voice answered. "Just...tired, is all."

"I'm not surprised," Atiya said. "As far as desert treks go, you did everything wrong."

"Shut up."

There was no venom in his tone. He probably knew just how badly he'd fucked up by wandering aimlessly the way he had.

"What are you even doing out here?" Atiya asked, his curiosity once more taking precedence over everything else. "This is Gerudo lands—and there's a ceasefire, you know?"

"I know," Sheik said. "We were...patrolling the front lines, watching for signs of trouble."

"We," Atiya said calmly. "So, you're really not alone?"

"I...no...there _is_ a team," Sheik said haltingly. "We got separated, though."

"How?"

Sheik was quiet for a moment, probably contemplating whether or not he should tell a Gerudo about his business. Not that Atiya was in a position to do much with whatever information he could glean. Honestly, he was just trying to pass the time, and the silence was uncomfortable.

"I ran off," Sheik said with a sigh. "I was on watch, and spotted a Yiga operative spying on us, and I gave chase. Didn't make enough of a racket to wake the others, and...well, I refused to give up. Led me on a merry chase, and then I lost him. Been wandering since."

"A Yiga?" Atiya asked. "What are they doing here?"

As far as Atiya knew, the Yiga were a splinter faction of the Sheikah, and there was no love lost between the two groups, bitter fighting occurring wherever they met. The hatred must have been strong, for Sheik to take such a stupid risk in chasing his enemy so far. That is, if it were true.

"We've been pushing them out of Hyrule for the past few years," Sheik answered. His voice was even and measured, not a hint of a lie in his words. "Lately, they've been seeking refuge in the desert—your lands. We can't go after them in your territory, so we've been mostly patrolling the front to ensure they don't sneak back into Hyrule."

Atiya bit his lip. This was valuable information. If the Yiga were encroaching upon Gerudo territory, Gan would want to know. "Do you know if they have any bases in our lands?" he asked.

"No idea," Sheik replied. "As I said, we haven't gone behind your lines to look for them, just making sure they don't come back."

"I see..."

He would definitely let Gan know about this. Even if he didn't have proof, his big brother would take him seriously...though it would help if he had Sheik there to confirm it. Once more he felt a pang of guilt—he really should have captured Sheik when he had the chance.

Uncomfortable silence once more descended upon them. Only the sound of the howling wind outside filled the hollow. Atiya reached up and started playing with one of the rings in his ear, a nervous habit he couldn't quite get rid of. His robes were stifling in the enclosed space, and he wanted to take them off, but that would get Sheik's attention, and if he found out Atiya wasn't actually a Gerudo...all hell would break loose, surely?

"How old are you?"

The Sheikah's question came out of nowhere, and made him pause. "Eh? Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just curious," Sheik replied. "We'll be stuck here for a while, and there isn't really all that much to do here to pass the time, is there?"

Atiya's point exactly. "Seventeen," he offered. "You?"

"Same. Were you born in the Gerudo city, or...?"

"No, I was born outside our lands and brought here when I was a child," Atiya replied, technically telling the truth. "You are from Hyrule?"

"Where else?" Sheik said, snorting a little. "Born and raised." He paused. "You asked me about my teammates...do you have anyone with you? Or were you alone?"

"I like to wander by myself."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not when you know how to survive out here...which you clearly don't."

"Fair enough. How long were you watching me?"

Atiya hissed. "You're not going to like the answer."

"There is a lot I don't like about this situation," Sheik said. "What's a little more going to do?"

 _Provoke you into attacking me,_ Atiya thought. His scimitar wouldn't do him any good in such a tight space, if it came to a fight. "A few hours," he answered honestly.

Sheik's breath hitched again. "I'm not sure how to react to that."

"You were an enemy deep into our territory," Atiya said. "I needed to see what you were up to. At first I thought you were simply _pretending_ to be lost."

"Huh..." Sheik hummed. "That _would_ have been a good strategy to draw out potential stalkers. Gave yourself away when you laughed, though."

"How could I not? You looked ridiculous!" He still chuckled at the image of Sheik sprawled out in the sand, cursing up a storm at his own clumsiness. "Funniest thing I've seen in weeks."

"I'm glad my misery could give you joy," the Sheikah muttered sarcastically. "I...still appreciate it, you know. Saving my life. I think any other Gerudo would have taken the opportunity to kill me."

Atiya's brow furrowed. "Only if you didn't surrender," he said, a little more harshly than intended. "We're not savages; I would have captured you and brought you back to the city."

"And then?"

Well, he'd be interrogated and...er, better not finish that thought.

"Same as us, then," Sheik said, breathing out, when no answer was forthcoming. "Interrogation, torture, and likely execution for espionage."

"Y...Yes."

"Well?"

Atiya frowned. "Well what?"

"Are you going to capture me? You have the advantage here—I have no idea how to survive out here, nor do I know where I am. Hell, for all I know I could be your prisoner right now without even knowing it."

It all sounded so matter-of-factly, like it was already decided when that was the farthest thing. Atiya shook his head. "If you were a prisoner, you wouldn't be armed," he said.

"Then what happens when the storm clears?" Sheik asked. "When the Leevers are gone?"

 _I'll show you the way home._

The words were at his lips before he could even think, and he had to force them back. He didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep. Fact was, he had no idea what he was going to do about the Sheikah he'd managed to collect.

On one hand, he knew he was _supposed_ to do as Sheik suggested; capture him and bring him to the fortress. On the other...well...he wanted Sheik to make it out alive, to survive. But that was tantamount to treason, and while Gan let him get away with a lot, he had a feeling he'd be crossing a line by letting Sheik go. His brother had a frightful temper, especially these days with the pressure of the war weighing heavily down on him.

"I...don't know," he said slowly.

"Huh..." Sheik shifted in the dark. "I guess I've got nothing to lose, then."

Atiya tensed up at those words, hand straying to his scimitar. He couldn't swing it like he was used to in here, but he certainly could stab Sheik with it, if necessary. "I suppose not," he replied.

"Then...would you mind satisfying my curiosity?"

"About what?"

"Just...you're a Gerudo, right?"

"W-Well, of course." Atiya grimaced, realising his voice was anything but convincing in that moment.

Sheik cleared his throat. "That's interesting, since you're clearly a man."

 _Shit!_

* * *

 ** _To be continued in Part 2_**


	2. Shelter

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.**

* * *

 **Shadow and Thief  
Part 2**

* * *

 **Please note the changed rating as of this chapter!**

* * *

Sheik felt a little satisfaction at the expression that crossed Atiya's face at his statement, her...or, rather, _his_ jaw clenching. For a moment, Sheik thought Atiya was going to attack him, but he showed remarkable restraint.

He had no idea why Atiya (if that was even his name) felt the need to lie about being a Gerudo, and the question had been gnawing at Sheik since he removed his turban, exposing his face. He highly doubted he'd managed to come across King Ganondorf on a random trek in the desert, and since he was the only male Gerudo...

...then Atiya had to be a Hylian.

And not a bad-looking one, at that, but that was a particular train of thought he refused to follow. He'd rather not have a repeat of the embarrassment with the guard captain...

It had taken Sheik an embarrassing amount of time to realise Atiya wasn't Gerudo. His voice wasn't particularly deep and could easily pass for a woman's, and his hair was the exact shade of red as the Gerudo's, his skin the same tone...though now that he knew what he did, Sheik supposed it was just a tan from being out in the sun so much. Really, the only thing that had tipped him off about the other's identity was his eyes, which he'd yet to get a good look at thanks to Atiya's continued efforts, which was suspicious all on its own. But really, the biggest tipoff was his ears. They were the wrong shape—too rounded at the tips, which gave him the wrong silhouette. Still, Sheik should have realised sooner.

Some operative he was.

"I have...no idea what you are talking about," Atiya said, his hand wrapping around the handle of his scimitar.

"I can see perfectly well in the dark," Sheik said drily. "Your eyes and ears don't belong on a Gerudo, they're as Hylian as they can be. Who are you, really? What's your name?"

"My name is Atiya," the man across from him said calmly, his expression darkening. "And I _am_ a Gerudo."

In a show of remarkable dramatic timing, the sky above cracked with thunder, sending vibrations through the rock. Outside, the storm continued to pick up in intensity, and Sheik realised that he'd probably just made a mistake, calling Atiya's lie when he had absolutely no way to escape...but he just wasn't able to resist it when Atiya had admitted he had no idea if he were going to capture Sheik or not.

Just because he wasn't a Gerudo didn't mean that Atiya was on his side. Could be a bandit, for all Sheik knew. A slaver, even. He'd die before being sold into _that_ hell!

"There is no need to lie," Sheik said, hoping to calm the situation down somewhat. "I just want to know the truth—"

"It _is_ the truth!" Atiya said vehemently.

"I don't believe you—"

"I don't _care_ what you believe or not, shadow!" the not-Gerudo snarled, followed by a string of words in the Gerudo tongue Sheik couldn't actually understand, but he knew them to be insults. "I am Gerudo, regardless of your beliefs!"

Sheik opened his mouth to argue, but then it struck him. Atiya's accent...it was the exact same as the one the Gerudo dignitaries had when speaking Common. They mastered the vocabulary and the grammar, but the sound of it was clearly not that of a mother tongue. Atiya clearly hadn't spoken Common from birth...and his grasp of the Gerudo language sounded far more natural.

...which meant _that_ was his mother tongue! But the Gerudo were remarkably insular about their language, refusing to teach it to anyone but their own, which meant Atiya must have been raised by them...or at least _a_ Gerudo. But that didn't make sense—Gerudo weren't in the habit of adopting children from outside their tribe, so...

 _Could it be?_ he thought, remembering a persistent rumour that had been plaguing the Sheikah intelligence gatherers for the past decade or so. The one that spoke of a second male Gerudo—a prince—hidden away from the public eye. It had been laughed off, as whatever magic laid dormant in the Gerudo bloodline ensured there only existed a single male member of their race at any one time. The idea that a second male had been spawned out of nowhere had been ridiculous!

...but looking at Atiya, Sheik could easily see where the rumours had come from. A Hylian...adopted and disguised as a Gerudo...

He was jumping to conclusions, but it _did_ make sense, at least in his mind.

...but what to do with this information? Going by the rumours, the Gerudo guarded this unknown prince even fiercer than the king, though for unknown reasons. If that was true, then the Gerudo considered him valuable. If _they_ considered him valuable, then the Hyrulian high command would as well. If Hyrule could capture the Gerudo prince and hold him hostage...then Ganondorf would have no choice but to surrender unconditionally...

And with that realisation, the entire situation changed. Sheik was now in close proximity to a high-value target (or a potential one, at least), which meant he had to gain the upper hand no matter what, and bring him back to the Hyrulian front.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest now, and he had to force himself to calm down. "Fine," he said with a sniff, affecting nonchalance. "You're Gerudo. I don't really care, I was just curious."

"Don't speak to me, Sheikah."

 _Back to square one,_ he thought. He shouldn't have blurted it out like that—now Atiya wouldn't trust him again. _Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

 _He could, he supposed, subdue the Hylian Gerudo right now. He had plenty of daggers in his holster, while Atiya only seemed to have his scimitar, which was all but useless in their current position. Unfortunately, he didn't have any rope. He could use his scarf to bind his hands, Sheik supposed, but he wasn't sure the fabric was strong enough..._

Then there was the matter of what he'd do _after_ capturing Atiya. Where would he go? He had no idea where they were, or how far it was back to the front lines. For all he knew, they could be within walking distance to the Gerudo fortress, and Sheik highly doubted a random Gerudo patrol would take kindly to his presence, much less if he'd just captured their prince...supposing Atiya really was said prince.

...and _then_ there was yet another matter, namely that of Atiya having saved Sheik's life, and Sheik Atiya's. It...didn't feel right, turning on him after that. He'd incurred a life debt, and then repaid it soon after, but did that mean he was entirely free to pursue Atiya as an enemy? That didn't feel right either...

Argh, why did such an opportunity have to fall into his lap at such an _inopportune_ time?! It was as if the Goddesses were laughing at him!

* * *

Atiya ground his teeth, waiting for any sign that Sheik was about to jump him. He couldn't see a damn thing, and the howls of the storm were deafening, but thanks to how close they were he could at least _feel_ if Sheik was about to make a move. So far, the Sheikah had remained still, however. Probably waiting for the right time.

 _I should have left him out there,_ Atiya thought. _Does he know who I am? Or does he think I'm some sort of bandit?_

If Sheik somehow managed to discern Atiya's identity, there was no telling what he'd do. Try to capture him? Kill him? If Sheik captured him, the Hyrulians could use Atiya as leverage against Gan...and that was not acceptable!

 _I should kill him,_ Atiya thought. _Right now. Put him out of his misery, make sure he doesn't make it back to tell the others about me!_

He knew what he had to do, but his hands refused to move, refused to draw his scimitar. Partly because he knew Sheik could see him—and what he was doing—perfectly in the dark, and partly because...he didn't want to. He liked Sheik, even if they'd gotten off to a rough start...and frankly, things didn't seem to be improving.

They'd saved each other's lives. To a Gerudo, that meant a bond had formed, the sort that could not easily be broken. Atiya wasn't sure if the Sheikah had something similar (the Hylians certainly didn't), but he found himself hoping so. If there was a way for them to simply walk their separate ways after this...Atiya hoped they could find it.

For now, though, he would keep quiet...and remain on guard.

* * *

Hours passed. The storm showed no signs of relenting, the stifling dust continuing to howl outside. Every now and then, thunder boomed and a lightning pierced through the darkness. The sun had gone down, and the temperature was dropping fast.

Sheik had shown no signs of aggression, nor had he attempted to start another conversation, apparently leaving Atiya be for now. Atiya returned the favour, though his fingers remained curled around the handle of his scimitar. He didn't dare let go of it, in case Sheik was waiting for him to do just that.

As the temperature continued to drop, Atiya began to shiver. His robes were meant for keeping cool, not preserving warmth, and he cursed himself for dropping his pack outside. The blanket Nabooru had made him would have been perfect right now.

Across from him, he could hear a slight chatter of teeth. Sheik was cold too. Colder, probably, since Atiya highly doubted that the sleek, form-fitting Sheikah armour of his was particularly warm. What protection it offered its wearer in the first place was lost on Atiya, but he supposed the shadows didn't really need proper armour since they usually weren't frontline fighters—relying more on stealth to achieve their goals.

"Cold, huh?" Atiya asked, unable to resist.

"Sh-Shut up," Sheik replied. "L-Like you're a-any w-warmer! I c-can see you sh-shivering!"

Atiya gave him a placid smile, which only further served to annoy the Sheikah, as intended. The other boy clearly didn't have much experience with just how cold a desert night could get, especially in these conditions.

He was right, though. Atiya wasn't about to get any warmer, and the lack of a fire wasn't helping. By Atiya's estimation, the sun had set about two hours ago, which meant the night was going to get even colder. Hypothermia was a very real danger...and a really embarrassing way to die, at least for a Gerudo.

 _This is either very stupid, or very clever...or a bit of both,_ Atiya thought, clearing his throat. "It's going to get colder," he said. "Cold enough to freeze to death."

"Your p-point?" Sheik asked.

"We can't start a fire."

"I _know._ " Atiya could practically _hear_ Sheik rolling his eyes. "I'm s-still w-waiting for your p-point."

With another Gerudo he wouldn't have hesitated, but the situation Atiya found himself in was one where he had to exercise extreme caution. He'd rather get a dagger to his heart for his trouble.

"We could...share our warmth," he said carefully.

"I d-don't think so."

Shot down without a second thought. At least Sheik didn't waste his time _thinking_ about it. Not unexpected—the fragile trust between them had been broken...and it wasn't even Atiya's fault. If Sheik had just kept his mouth shut...well, Atiya shouldn't have removed his turban in the first place, then Sheik could have gone on blissfully believing he'd been saved by a Gerudo girl...

Atiya rolled his eyes. This was stupid, and he was cold. Sheik might not be aware of just _how_ fucking freezing it was about to get in here, but Atiya did and he had no intention of suffering through it if he had an option, which was why he began shuffling (slowly) towards Sheik, removing his scimitar from his belt, leaving it within arm's reach, but otherwise far away not to be threatening.

"What are you d-doing?" Sheik asked, trying to move away, but that only backed him into a corner.

"Trying not to freeze?" Atiya said, careful to keep his scimitar angled away from Sheik.

"D-don't—stay away!"

"Do you _want_ to die of hypothermia?" Atiya asked. "No? Then get over here!"

Sheik growled. "You're really t-tempestuous, you kn-know that?"

"I grew up in the desert," Atiya said flatly. "I know how to survive out here, you don't. What, you think I'll stab you if I get close?"

"The th-thought has occurred!"

"It has to me as well, but I'll take the chance over freezing to death!"

There was a brief scuffle as Atiya tried to get his arms around Sheik's narrow middle (again, how little did the Sheikah eat? There was zero body fat—no wonder he was already so cold), and Sheik fought back.

"Stay away!"

"No!"

There was no room to move or fight properly, so the struggle was really more a series of wriggles and flailing arms, but soon enough Atiya managed to pull Sheik's back against his chest, wrapping his arms around the Sheikah to hold him in place.

* * *

Sheik growled and kept struggling, unable to believe what was happening. First Atiya had told him to shut up and fuck off (more or less), and now he was forcing Sheik into cuddling with him, claiming it'd keep them warm. He kept trying to shove the not-Gerudo away, but he was stuck in an awkward position, facing away from Atiya, and there was no room to move, no way for him to gain traction.

"Will you let go, you...you..."

Atiya was _really_ warm. In the freezing air of the hollow, heat seemed to _radiate_ from the not-Gerudo's body in waves. Atiya's chest was solid at his back, betraying a body that was in good shape—not surprising given how fast he'd scaled the cliff earlier.

Behind him, he heard Atiya sigh, his breath ghosting over Sheik's ear and cheek. "You're warm," the not-Gerudo said, seemingly happy with Sheik's sudden lack of struggle.

"...so're you," Sheik muttered quietly, feeling ridiculous. He felt no desire to leave Atiya's embrace; the heat his companion/enemy offered far too comforting.

"Just for now," Atiya murmured, breath still ghosting over Sheik's ear, making him shiver. "Until morning. Then we can fight, or leave, or..."

Oh, if only his aunt and cousins could see him now. They'd be laughing their asses off at him, unable to break Atiya's hold...unwilling, even.

"That...sounds okay," he said carefully, trying to suppress another shiver when Atiya's breath continued to tickle his sensitive ear. It really wasn't fair, being trapped like this. It was almost like he was at Atiya's mercy, and...well, he had no intention of letting that happen. He twisted and turned, causing Atiya to make a confused sound. "I'm trying to turn around," he said.

"Oh."

Atiya's grip softened, allowing Sheik to turn around so they were face to face. Atiya's eyes were studying him suspiciously, clearly expecting something to happen, but all Sheik did was put his own arms around the not-Gerudo. Now they were on equal ground.

Somewhat.

All it really did was make Sheik realise how much taller Atiya was, forcing Sheik to crane his neck upwards to actually look at the other's face. His eyes met with Atiya's, and Sheik found himself looking away, cheeks growing warm. This felt...nice.

Goddesses, just strike him down now!

"Not so bad, is it?" Atiya asked, grinning.

"Don't be an ass," Sheik retorted, which made Atiya laugh. The vibrations went through them both, and Sheik couldn't help but join in. This really was a ridiculous position to be in, but...it really wasn't so bad.

Unfortunately, his body decided that it was quite a bit _more_ pleasant than he'd anticipated, and a wave of heat travelled through him, and then further south... Clearing his throat, he drew his hips slightly back, hoping to avoid embarrassing himself even further.

"Something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, just..." he trailed off. "Nothing."

"Hm..."

Atiya's hum sent more vibrations through Sheik, which only made things worse.

 _Stupid body..._

Atiya's hand, having hovered uncertainly after Sheik had turned around, settled on the small of Sheik's back. Then, after a minute or so, it started to move, rubbing slightly. That caused Sheik's entire body to give a shiver, feeling the goose bumps contracting his skin there.

"H-Hey..." he said weakly.

"Hm? Oh...sorry."

Atiya's hand stopped moving.

"Force of habit," the not-Gerudo said. "My sister enjoys it."

"Which one?" Sheik couldn't help but snark.

Atiya actually looked like he had to think about that one. "All of them?" he suggested.

"You make a habit of snuggling your sisters for _warmth_?" Sheik asked, deciding that if Atiya was going to have his fun, then so would he.

At first, the not-Gerudo didn't seem to understand what he was talking about, but then his face twisted into a grimace. "No," he said firmly, glaring down at Sheik. "They are my sisters." Then his cheeks darkened a little. "Not...really what...like..."

"What was that?"

"Never mind," Atiya huffed.

 _Hm...interesting..._

* * *

Atiya wasn't sure what was happening. First he had to more or less trap Sheik in order for them to keep warm, then the Sheikah began responding favourably, even turning around so they were facing each other, which left Atiya's face flushed, because this felt...nice. Like Sheik fit perfectly in his embrace. He wasn't certain, but he could swear that Sheik was...growing warmer. He'd started rubbing Sheik's back unthinkingly, as he usually did whenever he travelled with Aveil or Riju, who were the worst kind of clingy, demanding to be pet if the night was cold and a fire wasn't enough.

Sheik's words said he didn't like it, though the sound he'd made suggested otherwise—a sort of breathy gasp, coupled with a slight jerk of his hips. It was a lovely sound, and Atiya wouldn't mind hearing it some more...or exploring what else could cause the Sheikah to make such sounds. And then Sheik had ruined it by suggesting that he...he did _that_ with his sisters, which was just...just _wrong_!

Somewhere in the back of his head, a snide voice was trying to remind him that Sheik was male, just like him, but he quickly stamped down on it. If the female Gerudo could be with each other, why couldn't Atiya be with another boy? The fact that Sheik was the enemy didn't appear to factor into it at all, his body heating up as well the longer he held Sheik.

 _Goddess, I am such a pervert,_ he thought, feeling guilty. _Maybe this was a mistake..._

Like everything else that had happened that day. This is what happened when Atiya didn't follow the rules he'd been taught—he ended up feeling like he was accidentally molesting the enemy. If that didn't make him just the worst kind of scum, then he didn't know what...

He started pulling away from Sheik, loosening his hold on the Sheikah, muttering a quiet "Sorry..." under his breath. As unpleasant as their conversation from before had become, and how suspicious he was of the Sheikah's motivations right now, he still felt guilty. No need to make things even more uncomfortable than they already were...

To his surprise, however, Sheik's arms only tightened around him, pulling him closer. "Why?" the Sheikah asked in a murmur.

"I...didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Atiya said, gasping a little when he felt Sheik's fingers tentatively exploring his back, fingers tracing over his vertebrae through his robes. At first, he thought Sheik was just paying him back, but there was a definite...eagerness to it. "By...touching..."

"I didn't say I _minded_ , did I?" Sheik said, and Atiya could _hear_ the grin beneath his mask. "I was just...surprised. You can keep going, if you'd like." As if to illustrate his point, his hand landed on Atiya's lower back, rubbing gently. "Unless...you'd like me stop?"

"No!"

Atiya was almost ashamed by how fast (and loud) he disagreed, practically snuggling up against Sheik again. He'd never had a chance to get close to someone like...like _this_. With other Gerudo it was always just a way to get warm, innocently keeping one another company. With Sheik...he wanted something more...

"Hm," Sheik hummed, massaging his back in a way that made Atiya's entire body shiver, a heat igniting at his core. "I don't know..."

"Wh-What?"

"I'm not sure if I should..."

"P-Please," Atiya begged, keening when Sheik's fingers pressed down on a particularly sensitive and sore muscle in his back. "Don't stop..."

Sheik laughed. "As you wish," he said, and his ministrations continued, questing fingers travelling up and down the length of Atiya's spine, exploring and poking and prodding wherever Atiya gave approving sounds.

He seemed to know exactly how hard or gentle he needed to be, slowly but gradually turning Atiya into putty in his hands. Had he been in a clearer state of mind (and taken the insanity of his situation into account), he would not have let things progress to this point, but all he could think about right now was the bundle of Sheikah in his arms.

Though, now a new worry started niggling at the back of his mind. Sheik clearly knew what he was doing. Atiya didn't.

"Y-You're pretty...good," Atiya said, trying to affect nonchalance (and failing miserably). "You've...done this before?"

Sheik snorted in an undignified manner. "Of course," he said. "Sheikah are raised and trained in crèches—what do you think happens when you lock up a bunch of horny teenaged boys in such an environment?"

"Oh..."

"That's right." Sheik made to continue, but paused, pulling back a little. Atiya couldn't see, but he was quite sure Sheik was looking up at him now. "Wait...you haven't...?" he asked slowly.

"No..."

Atiya's cheeks burned. He knew he didn't have anything to be embarrassed about, but he still felt...flustered. What if Sheik expected something amazing, and Atiya couldn't provide?

"Huh," Sheik said, nonplussed. Despite Sheik's mask, Atiya could feel his breath ghosting over his face. "I would have thought...I mean, you're surrounded by women, so...not even once?"

"If that's a problem, we can stop," Atiya said, face burning and trying to pull away half-heartedly. "I don't want you to waste your time—"

"Hey, hey, easy," Sheik murmured. "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just surprised, all right? I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting a man surrounded on all sides by beautiful women to not, you know, get swarmed?" He chuckled.

Atiya's mouth opened and closed. It wasn't like he hadn't had offers from some of his friends while growing up...tensions ran high in the fortress sometimes, and it wasn't unusual for the warriors-in-training to blow off steam that way, but Atiya had never...he'd never found his age-mates interesting in that way. They were all elder or younger sisters to him—he'd die for any of them, gladly, but...no, not that. For a while he'd even thought something was wrong with him, but...well, five minutes with Sheik and he'd all but confirmed something about himself.

He didn't say this, though. "Oh, so now you believe me?" he asked.

"Let's just say I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for now," Sheik replied. "Now...do you want to continue?" His hand ghosted down to Atiya's hip, thumb pressing pointedly at the bone it found there. "Or shall we end it here?"

Somehow, it felt like Atiya was at a point of no return. If they ended it here, he predicted a night spent in discomfort and awkward, tense silence, but he'd emerge from the hollow relatively unchanged. Taking it further...well, as far as he knew, this was just a bit of fun for Sheik, with presumably no strings attached, and if it stayed that way...well, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad either. No one had to know, right?

"Can we...keep going?" he asked.

"Of course," Sheik said, immediately continuing his exploration of Atiya's body. "I believe I have some...interesting things to show you," he said. "You can touch me too, if you wish..."

Realising he had been doing absolutely nothing while Sheik had been making all the effort, Atiya's face flushed even hotter, and willed his hands to move from their position at Sheik's back, returning and trying to copy the things Sheik had done to him, counting his vertebrae, pressing against the slim muscles of his back. He felt like a clumsy oaf, pretty sure he was causing Sheik more discomfort than anything else, but the Sheikah didn't seem to mind, humming appreciatively.

Any thoughts of the freezing night disappeared, the fire Atiya felt building within him almost making him feel unbearably hot, and trapped within the confines of his robes.

"These are in the way," Sheik murmured, tugging at Atiya's robes before starting to fumble with his belt. "Mind if I...?"

"Go ahead," Atiya said, panting slightly. He should have been more reserved, less eager for this virtual stranger to start taking his clothes off, but...no...he _wanted_ this! He felt Sheik's fingers deftly undo the clasp, pulling it aside, letting the folds of Atiya's robes fall open. Eagerly pushing them aside, Sheik's hands disappeared inside, immediately beginning to explore.

"Hm...exposed midriff," Sheik commented, making an appreciative sound as Atiya felt feather-light touches along his stomach, mapping the divots of his muscles. "Daring."

"T-Traditional garb," Atiya said, only half-lying. The traditional Gerudo clothes reserved for males were a lot more...covering, and made of heavier materials. Meant to make the king look more intimidating. Atiya had his own set, made to match Gan's, but he found the lighter, breezier clothes his sisters wore to be far more comfortable, especially on hot days in the city, and so usually dressed the same as them whenever he wasn't expected to be in formal wear.

"I like it," Sheik said, one hand dipping lower to touch Atiya's hip again, dangerously close to the waist of his sirwal, not straying any lower. Feather-light touches danced across his pectorals next, teasing and subtle. "You're strong," Sheik said, his voice beginning to sound a little strained. "You spar a lot?"

"Daily...exercise...regimen," Atiya said, unable to believe that a stranger's hands could feel so good, and Sheik wasn't even _doing_ anything yet. That thought made his jaw clench; he didn't want to be the only one who felt like this. While Sheik didn't have robes to pull aside, his outfit left little to the imagination, so tight-fitting it was a miracle he even fit into it to begin with. Slowly, hesitantly, Atiya moved his hands to Sheik's front, intending to return the favour to the smaller boy. Atiya knew he was larger, physically, with more prominent muscles. Sheik was lithe, his physique more like a tightly-coiled spring, solid but not bulging.

"I run a lot," Sheik suddenly said, as if to answer some unspoken question. "We tend to...favour lighter builds in our...operatives."

Was it just him, or was Sheik starting to breathe more and more raggedly? Atiya continued to touch, feeling Sheik's collarbone beneath the thin fabric of his suit. He wanted to bite it. He almost did, but then Sheik's hand slipped beneath the fabric of Atiya's top, finding one of his nipples...and flicked it.

The moan that erupted from Atiya's mouth was needy and wanton, and had he not been too busy to properly hear it he would have been so embarrassed he'd never be able to face anyone again!

"There we go," Sheik cooed. "That feel good?"

"Hngh, _yes_ ," Atiya forced out, whimpering when Sheik pinched the bud, rolling it between his fingers.

"I had a feeling," Sheik said, laughing. Then, a little quieter, he added, "so do I..."

Atiya didn't need more encouragement, finding one of Sheik's beneath the fabric of his suit. It was a little awkward, trying to get to it without skin contact, but the full-body shudder that travelled through Sheik's form when Atiya found it was telling.

They were both panting by now, hands travelling all over each other's upper bodies, but returning to the nubs that had them both keening and moaning with delight. By now, Atiya became aware of a situation arising between his legs. A moment later, so did Sheik.

"Hm, what have we here...?"

"I..."

"What happens...if I do this?"

Atiya's hips bucked of their own accord when Sheik's fingers wrapped around his length through the fabric of his sirwal, pumping gently. Atiya felt his own hands clenching around Sheik's shoulders, forehead thumping against the Sheikah's sternum. Through it, he felt the thumping of Sheik's heart, but all he could focus on was the hand on his member, which was playing with it agonisingly slowly.

"Oh, my," Sheik cooed again. "That good, huh?"

Atiya raised his head, felt Sheik's breath on his face. He moved without thinking, and felt his lips make contact with fabric.

"Wait!" Sheik exclaimed, pulling back a little.

"I'm...I'm sorry!" Atiya said. "I wasn't thinking, I...I—"

"Easy," Sheik said calmly. "Let me just..."

Atiya heard rustling...and then a pair of lips connected with his, moving slowly and languidly, in no hurry. A little chapped, but Atiya wouldn't trade it for anything as he moved his lips against Sheik's as well, aware that he was incredibly clumsy and an absolute failure at this...but he didn't care. Sheik's grip on him tightened a little, making him moan even louder. When his mouth opened, he felt the tip of Sheik's tongue slipping between his lips, poking playfully at Atiya's, coaxing it into play.

Atiya had kissed before—it was a natural part of growing up—but never like _this_ , their tongues gradually moving faster, duelling for dominance.

A little dazed from all the sensations, Atiya felt a little bolder, and let his hand slowly move down Sheik's front, until he found—to his immense satisfaction—a similar situation to his own in Sheik's trousers. At least he wasn't the only one who found satisfaction in this!

The moment Atiya touched him, Sheik bucked into his hand, desperate for friction. Atiya chuckled, more than happy to provide it, running his palm up and down the cloth-covered member. But it wasn't enough. Atiya wanted to _feel_ him.

"Sheik—hah—can I...may I...?" unable to even voice the request, he tapped the buckle of Sheik's belt, which was answered with a moan and spit-slick lips colliding with his once more, a non-verbal approval.

It was awkward, having never unfastened a belt from this angle before, but Atiya made it work, opening the belt and unlacing Sheik's trousers, opening them so he could touch the Sheikah directly. He gasped when he made skin contact—Sheik was so unbelievably hot, and slick, and hard... Sheik bucked even harder now, cutting off the kiss only to latch onto Atiya's neck, biting and sucking gently.

At the same time, Atiya felt Sheik's hand slipping underneath his sirwal's waistband, pulling it down to expose him, just as eager to touch. He couldn't even hear the storm outside now, his ears filled with the roar of his heartbeat, all he could focus on being the hand wrapped around him, so different from when he did it on his own...and Sheik seemed to know exactly what to do to make him feel incredible. He did his best to emulate his movements, but he couldn't help but worry he was messing it up.

"G...Good?" he asked, cutting himself off when Sheik bit his neck again, not hard enough to draw blood, but definitely enough to leave a mark.

"S-So good!" Sheik muttered, tongue gently lapping at the spot he'd bitten. "You?"

"Wonderful," Atiya moaned. He was getting close—it was too soon! He wanted more of this, wanted to experience more, but he couldn't stop bucking into Sheik's hand, nearly losing control when he felt the other's thumb teasing his slit.

"Wait, wait," Sheik said suddenly, ceasing his actions, causing Atiya to make a disappointed sound, which only made him chuckle. "I want to do something...don't really have what we need for anything else...it'll feel great for both of us, though...here..."

He made Atiya shuffle closer, until their hips were aligned as best they could, despite the different in height. It left Atiya's neck vulnerable to Sheik's mouth, which the Sheikah took full advantage of, but that sensation was nearly forgotten when their shafts met, rubbing against each other with an obscene, wet sound.

"How's that?" Sheik asked, reaching a hand up to rub at the base of Atiya's ear, which was sensitive and added to the complete sensory assault he was under.

"Hah...nnn..."

"I'll take...that as...approval," Sheik chuckled, continuing to rut against Atiya, the sound growing louder between them. "Didn't think—haiiii!"

Atiya felt triumphant when he gently bit the tip of Sheik's ear, very much enjoying how the Sheikah's entire body seized up for a moment, apparently unable to take the sensation on top of everything else, a high-pitched whine erupting from his throat.

Hah, so Sheikah's ears were just as sensitive as Hylian ones. Good to know!

"You...talk too...much," Atiya said, licking the ear he'd bit as an apology...even if Sheik hadn't seemed to mind the bite in the first place.

"Duly...noted..." Sheik panted. "I'm...getting close..."

"Me...too..."

"Want to...finish...big..." Sheik said, as Atiya felt his hand leaving his neck, only to fold itself over his mouth. "Lick it," Sheik commanded, and Atiya could do little but obey, running his tongue over the palm of Sheik's hand until it was slick with saliva. "Good boy," Sheik cooed as he removed it, reaching down between them...and wrapping it around both their lengths, pumping vigorously.

"Come on," Sheik muttered against Atiya's throat. "Come..."

It was all too much—the friction, the movements, the slide of wet skin on skin, Sheik's breath on his neck, the vibration of his voice...Atiya had no way to resist, and his vision went white as he came harder than he had ever done, hips bucking wildly as he emptied himself into Sheik's hand.

His release must have triggered Sheik's as well, as he felt the Sheikah's body seizing up against him, hips moving rapidly before slowing down, leaving the pair of them a panting, wheezing mess. Now it was Sheik's forehead resting against Atiya's chest, while Atiya buried his nose in Sheik's hair, just...breathing.

It didn't take long for the world to catch up, however, his sweaty skin rapidly cooling down now that his exertions were over. Atiya shuddered when Sheik's hand gently let go of their shafts. Feeling blind as a bat, Atiya began to reach into his robes, wondering if he could find some sloth or something that Sheik could use to clean off—

He paused. There was the distinct rasp of a tongue gliding across skin. Was Sheik...was he...?

"Are you...?"

Neither his mind nor mouth found the ability to actually give describe the action.

"Mhm," Sheik hummed happily, his mouth making slurping sounds that were, somehow, even _more_ obscene than the sound of them rutting against each other. "Is that...strange?" the Sheikah asked a moment later, hesitantly.

 _No!_ Atiya wanted to shout, but that was hardly appropriate, so he simply shook his head and whispered it instead. "No...not at all."

"I like it," Sheik said...and then his lips were on Atiya's again, his tongue forcing its away inside, gliding against Atiya's and making him taste their combined essences. It was salty and bitter...but not entirely unpleasant—combined with the uniquely spicy taste that was just _Sheik_ , Atiya felt himself, unbelievably, stirring once more. The kiss ended, their lips separating with a moist pop, and Sheik's breath washed over his face as he asked, "How about you?"

"Bwuh?" Atiya said in a very intelligent manner, prompting laughter from the blonde.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Sheik said, kissing Atiya once more. "Thank you...that was nice."

"It was..." Atiya agreed, not sure what else he _could_ say after that. He felt like he was floating, only somewhat aware of Sheik pulling his sirwal up to cover him up again, though he left Atiya's robes open. His hands disappeared, presumably to lace up his trousers again. Atiya almost whined at the loss of contact, but then Sheik returned, his arms wrapping themselves around Atiya once more— _inside_ the robes.

"Hope you don't mind," Sheik said cheekily. "You're warm."

 _Said the furnace that just cuddled up to me,_ Atiya thought with a smile, pulling Sheik closer. He was still a little excited, which Sheik surely must have noticed, but the exhaustion of the day was starting to get to him, his body relaxed and weary all at the same time.

Before he knew it, his eyes were sliding shut, and he drifted off into sleep...

* * *

Sheik woke up first. The sun had yet to rise, but dawn wasn't far off judging from the brightening skies outside. The storm had died sometime during the night, after their...activities. His cheeks warmed slightly under his mask at the memory of it, surprised to find such an eager and willing partner in Atiya, who was supposed to be his mortal enemy.

It was impossible to think of him that way, now.

He glanced at his side, where Atiya was curled up next to him, snoring lightly in his sleep. He really was quite lovely, appearing for all intents and purposes to be a Hylian-shaped Gerudo. There really wasn't any question to his identity anymore—or Sheik had just had either the best or the worst streak of luck in existence, meeting the _one_ red-haired, dark-tanned male Hylian who hadn't been captured and killed by the Gerudo for trespassing on their territory.

There were coincidences, and then there were _coincidences_ , and Sheik highly doubted this was either.

 _Fucking hell...I just slept with the second-most valuable member of the Gerudo hierarchy,_ he thought, feeling himself stirring a little at the images that flashed by in his mind. Atiya might not have been able to see anything during the night, but Sheik, with his superior night vision, had seen _everything_...and had committed the various expressions on Atiya's face to memory. His face when he came was...amazing.

Sheik was no stranger to trysts in the darkness—there really were no other options in the crèches—and had more than his fair share of experiences with random partners, rarely sleeping with the same person more than once...but with Atiya it had been different. More...exciting. Passionate. Sheik could have come just from watching Atiya's face, or listening to his voice...and knowing _he_ had made the Gerudo like that...it was just incredible.

He frowned. He couldn't let it go to his head. They were, technically, still enemies, and as much as he was tempted to entertain the thoughts of repeating the experience...well, they would have to part soon. The storm had cleared, and he assumed the Leevers were gone. Sooner or later, Atiya's sisters would come looking for him, and Sheik would have to rendezvous with his team (Goddesses, Kafei would _murder_ him for disappearing like he had), and then they were back in their normal lives.

Before he could think about his imminent misery any further, Atiya stirred next to him, his big (blue!) eyes opening and blinking blearily up at him. A smile came to Atiya's lips...followed by a dark blush visible even on his tanned skin as he surely remembered what they'd done during the night.

"Morning," Sheik said nonchalantly, nodding at him. "Sleep well?" Atiya nodded, apparently not trusting himself to speak just yet as he cleared his throat. Sheik handed him the water skin. "I was thirsty a while ago," explaining why he had it.

Atiya nodded again, unstopping the skin and taking a long sip. "What time is it?" he asked, voice rough from sleep.

"Just before dawn, I'd say," Sheik said, also drinking from the skin when Atiya was done. "Storm's over."

"I can see that." Atiya leaned over Sheik's legs to look outside. "No signs of the Leevers, either. We're clear."

"How can you tell?" Sheik asked, bending his back until his head was more or less parallel with Atiya's, trying to look at the same spot.

"They make an awful racket in the morning," the Hylian Gerudo said, leaning back, his eyes meeting Sheik's. "Er..." his hand was reaching up, hesitantly. "Can I...?"

 _Can you what?_ Sheik thought as he nodded, feeling a small rush of panic when Atiya's hand skirted the edges of his mask before pulling it down. He wasn't overly fond of people other than himself revealing his face...but he could make an exception for Atiya. That resolve was only strengthened when Atiya shyly pressed his lips against Sheik's. It took little coaxing for Sheik to deepen the kiss a little, their tongues only touching gently.

Sheik found himself feeling intoxicated. Kissing Atiya was unlike anything he had ever felt before—morning breath and all—and all he wanted was to keep doing it...as well as other stuff.

Regrettably, the logical part of his brain decided to kick in at that moment, forcing him to break off the kiss and lean back, giving Atiya a regretful look.

"We probably shouldn't," he said apologetically. "Considering...who we are..."

Atiya frowned, but nodded. His face was beautiful when he blushed like that. Moving away, Atiya leaned his back against the opposite wall, mimicking how they'd started the night before. His scimitar was still lying on the floor of the hollow, easily within reach. Perhaps as a show of faith, Atiya didn't reach for it. In return, Sheik didn't grab his own blade, which was leaning against the wall in its scabbard.

"So...you believe me now?" Atiya said, repeating his question from before. "About me being Gerudo?"

"I do," Sheik said, nodding. Realising his face was still uncovered, he pulled his mask back up—he felt too vulnerable without it. Atiya seemed disappointed, which made him feel...strange. "The things you said...and the way you are...there are just too many details you get right for it to be a lie, so..."

"Ah," Atiya said, nodding slowly.

"You're the Gerudo prince, huh?" Sheik asked, grinning a little under his mask. "Can't say I've slept with royalty before."

The outraged look on Atiya's face was too good to pass up, the other boy's cheeks puffing up in a pout.

"Don't say that!" he hissed, glaring at Sheik before nodding. "I...yes, I am. I am brother to the Gerudo, and King Ganondorf."

It was strange, for him to admit it so easily, but Sheik supposed it was hard to keep secrets given what they'd done during the night. Admittedly, Sheik found himself relaxing a lot more near Atiya than he should have—another thing Impa would tan his hide for, just below the reasons "Don't get lost in the desert without the proper supplies" and "Don't sleep with the enemy, you blithering idiot!"

He realised he was suddenly immensely curious, now that a decade-old rumour had just been confirmed...and by _him_ , even! "But...how?" he asked. "How did a Hylian come to be a Gerudo prince?"

Atiya hesitated briefly before speaking, clearly uncomfortable with sharing the story, while also feeling an obligation to. Sheik would have told him he didn't need to, had he been a better person, but...well, he wasn't.

"They..." Atiya began, pausing. "I was found as a baby during the last war, in a burned-out trade caravan that had been passing through Gerudo territory. Bandits attacked, leaving no survivors other than me, and only because someone had kept me hidden. Nabooru—my older sister—was part of the group that found me, and tried to take me to the Hyrulian front lines, to get me home, but whenever she tried to make contact with Hylian or Sheikah troops, they attacked without question. After several of the sisters with her got hurt, she decided to abandon the quest, bringing me home with her instead."

Sheik nodded as he listened. Why would the Hyrulian troops attack someone carrying a child? Sure, it had been wartime, but was...excessive. He'd recognised the name Nabooru—she was currently serving as Ganondorf's chief advisor, and usually led negotiations on behalf of the Gerudo.

"She presented me to Gan...I mean Ganondorf! The king!" Atiya continued, blushing at the slip of his tongue.

 _So, he calls the king "Gan"? That's...adorable._

"He didn't know what to do with me at first, but when Nabooru told him what had happened, that my own people weren't interested in taking me back..." Atiya's frown deepened a little, before smiling, "he took me in immediately. He gave me my name, Atiya." The smile was soft, full of love. Sheik felt his heart speed up a little at the sight of it. "It means _Gift_ ," Atiya said. "He considered me a gift, wasted on the Hylians."

"And he raised you?" Sheik asked, realising he'd been quiet a little too long when Atiya didn't speak after that.

"Not by himself," Atiya said with a laugh. "Raising children is a communal effort among the Gerudo—I daresay just about everyone in the city has had a hand in making sure I turned out right."

"And they just accepted you?"

"I was a child," Atiya said, still smiling. "It was not _my_ fault my parents were gone, nor was I blamed for the Hyrulians not being willing to even hear Nabooru out when she approached them, so they did not find it hard to simply make me part of the tribe...alone as I was."

That was...surprising. For the Gerudo to take in an outsider...but then again, since Atiya had been a child at the time...

"Do you have a Hylian name?" Sheik asked. "Or was it lost with...you know...?"

"I do have one," Atiya confirmed with a nod. "But I do not use it. Nor do I like giving it out to strangers."

"Then don't," Sheik said hurriedly, recognising a sore subject when he heard one. "I was just curious. And...well, I can't help but wonder why the Gerudo would keep your existence a secret."

Atiya snorted. "Can you imagine Hyrule's reaction if they found out about me? The Gerudo have a bad enough reputation to begin—the last thing we need is to be accused of kidnapping." His eyes hardened, brows furrowing. "We may steal sometimes, for survival, but we don't steal _people_!"

Sheik nodded. For all their faults and pig-headed stubbornness, the Gerudo had never engaged in slavery. That was definitely a point in their favour.

"So how about you?" Atiya asked suddenly. "What is your story?"

The reversal caught him a little off-guard, and he cleared his throat, looking away.

"Er, not much to say about me, really. Standard Sheikah. Born and raised in Kakariko Village in Hyrule, and trained to be of service to the Hyrulian Royal Family."

"That cannot be all there is to you," Atiya said doubtfully.

"Minor details, the rest," Sheik half-lied. "I have a few hobbies, but—"

"Like?"

"M-Music?"

"Are you asking _me_ that?" Atiya asked, laughing.

"N-No!" Sheik protested. "I...I play the lyre. It helps me relax..."

"That sounds nice," Atiya said genuinely. "I'd like to hear you play sometime."

 _Never going to happen,_ Sheik thought regrettably. Their positions in life simply wouldn't allow it. He didn't say that, however. "Maybe you will, someday," he said instead.

Atiya's smile could light up the world...much like the sun was doing outside, finally creeping over the horizon.

"Are your parents nice?" Atiya asked, paying no attention to the light outside.

Sheik shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know," he said. "They died when I was young."

"Oh...my apologies...so you are...alone?"

"I have cousins," Sheik said quickly. "And my aunt, Impa—"

He shut his mouth immediately, kicking himself for accidentally giving away Impa's name. That was the one thing he wasn't supposed to give away in the field—his connection to the Sheikah leader. Hoping that Atiya wasn't familiar with the name was a lost cause, as the Hylian Gerudo's eyes had widened upon hearing it. Fuck, he was an idiot!

"You're...Impa's nephew?" Atiya asked. "That is...unexpected."

"Why is that?" Sheik asked, tensing up. He wasn't sure if he had another fight in him this early in the morning, not with how tired he was. With a single, stupid mistake he'd just pegged himself as just as valuable a target as Atiya was. Well, perhaps not _that_ valuable to Hyrule in general, but to the Sheikah, at least...

"So..." Atiya said slowly, eyes narrowing. "You're sort of a prince too, right?"

... _huh?_

"Th-That's what you take from that?!" he sputtered.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Atiya said. "Impa doesn't have any children, as far as we know, which makes you her closest relative and heir to the Sheikah leadership, yes?"

 _Just how much spying has the Gerudo been doing?_ he wondered, grimacing. _Well...probably just as much as we have._

"I...guess? Though I wouldn't really call it a princehood," he said carefully, feeling a little strange when Atiya grinned widely, triumphant at his guess.

It fell quickly, however, when Atiya's growled like a wild beast, and his expression grew flustered. Sheik couldn't help but laugh, surprised by the sheer volume of it.

"Sorry," Atiya said, embarrassed. "Haven't eaten since yesterday..."

"I've got you covered," Sheik said, reaching into his dagger holster and withdrawing the two cloth-wrapped ration bars. Meant for emergencies, they were not meant for the enjoyment of the consumer, but to keep them going, containing enough nutrients to last a fighting individual an entire day. He tossed one to Atiya, whose eyes lit up at the prospect of food. "Tastes awful, but it'll calm down the monster in your gut."

"Thank you," Atiya said, unwrapping his bar and wasting no time tearing into it. He grimaced a little when the taste struck him, but that faded quickly in the face of sating his hunger. It was gone in less than a minute, whereas Sheik usually needed a few minutes to get it down, with several breaks.

Atiya really must have been hungry.

Holding out his own bar, Sheik asked, "Want another?"

"I do," Atiya said guiltily. "But you need strength, too."

Breaking his bar in half, Sheik tossed one half of it to Atiya. "I hate these things," he said matter-of-factly. "You'd be doing me a favour."

Hesitant, but with gratitude in his eyes, Atiya wolfed down that half as well. "I'll hunt us something later to make up for it, I promise," he said, mouth half-full.

Sheik nearly choked on the last bite of his half. Later? That implied they were going to stay together...

He swallowed heavily, accepting the water skin to wash down the bar, hoping the taste would go away soon. Atiya noticed his serious expression, looking a little chastened.

"Sorry," Atiya said, his voice quiet. "I got a little ahead of myself. What happens now?"

It was a question that had to be answered sooner or later, and Sheik had been wrestling with it all morning. He still didn't have one. Duty told him to subdue Atiya and bring him back to the command, where he could be used as leverage to make Ganondorf submit...and then be kept as a hostage in perpetuity in order to keep the Gerudo king in line. The war would be over the second Sheik brought Atiya onto Hyrulian soil.

He could scarcely imagine Impa's reaction to such a thing. Honour and glory would follow, but he didn't care much about those. All he'd want was his aunt's approval, and confirmation he'd lived up to the legacy of his parents.

Atiya would never be released as long as Ganondorf remained king. He'd spend the rest of his life in captivity, little more than a trinket the Hyrulians could parade around with a blade to his throat every time the Gerudo showed signs of unrest. A slave of peace. Sheik hoped Princess Zelda wasn't cruel enough to do that, but he recognised just how much of a boon having Atiya in her custody would be.

For Atiya...his life was more or less over, if Sheik captured him.

Sheik, too, was a valuable hostage—with his capture, Ganondorf could force the Sheikah to stand down, leaving the Hyrulian army on its own. It'd be a much tougher fight without the shadows there to support them, and losses could be catastrophic. Zelda was...sympathetic to the Sheikah, but they weren't a big enough priority for her to put her war efforts on hold—doing so would make her appear weak.

Without the Sheikah there to harry his supply lines and assassinate his military commanders, Ganondorf would find himself with far more freedom to pursue the war against Hyrule—might even prompt him to push further into its territory. He'd have far more leverage with which to pursue a more favourable peace agreement with Hyrule.

All in all, Sheik and Atiya both had much to gain and lose here.

And Sheik found himself hesitant to make the first move. He didn't want to be the aggressor, the one to make the decision.

...he didn't want to _choose_ to take Atiya's freedom away.

"I don't know," Sheik said, finally answering Atiya's question. "We both know what's at stake..."

"...but neither of us wants to take the plunge," the Hylian Gerudo finished.

"That's pretty much the gist of it," Sheik agreed.

"I don't want to be a hostage," Atiya said quietly.

"Neither do I," Sheik admitted.

"Then...let's not be," Atiya said, nodding to himself, as if that statement made any kind of sense.

"What?" Sheik raised an eyebrow at him.

"We don't do anything about each other," Atiya clarified. "We just pretend we never met, yes? We leave this hollow, I lead you as close as I can to the front...and then we walk away from each other. You go home, I go home...and this will just be a pleasant memory."

"That's...tantamount to treason," Sheik said carefully. "If someone finds out either of us had an opportunity like this and didn't take it...even let the enemy go..."

Not even Impa could protect him from the consequences of that. High Command would demand his head on a spike.

"I can keep a secret," Atiya said, winking at him.

"So can I," Sheik replied without thinking, too distracted by the mischievous smile on Atiya's face. "That is...I mean..."

"I don't want to fight you, Sheik," Atiya said gently, suddenly on his knees in front of him, practically crawling into Sheik's lap, reaching out to run the back of his hand along Sheik's masked cheek. "We got off to a rough start, but...I like you. Can't we just...be happy with this?"

"Yes," Sheik breathed, hyper-aware of the other's touch. It felt like lightning was running through his skin wherever Atiya's knuckles went. The Gerudo prince was...mesmerising. Bewitching. In the back of his mind, he wondered if there really was a pebble of truth to the rumours of all Gerudo being witches, able to ensnare the most hardened individual by way of seduction—Atiya would be the most dangerous of them all, if it were so.

"Then...we have a deal?" Atiya asked, leaning closer.

"Yes," Sheik repeated, this time pulling the mask down himself so they could lock lips once more, slotting together once more like puzzle pieces. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Atiya's neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

 _No way in hell am I giving you to High Command,_ he thought. _I'll tell as many lies as I have to._

They separated, gazing into each other's eyes. How the hell a boy had managed to get such a solid grip on Sheik's heart in the matter of a single day and night, he had no idea, but he didn't regret it for a second.

"We should get going," Atiya murmured, eyes like sapphires darkening with the beginnings of lust. "We have a long day ahead of us."

"Yeah," Sheik said, wishing they could stay in the hollow a little longer, but the sun was rising steadily, and soon it would be unbearably hot again, and it'd be smartest to do the majority of the travelling now, while it was still cool outside.

He regretfully let Atiya climb out of his lap, watching surreptitiously as the other boy fetched his scimitar and attached it to his robes' belt. Sheik did the same with his own blade, tying it to his back.

Just as they were about to climb out of the hollow and emerge back into the world, they heard it.

A voice, piercing the silence of the desert morning.

"Sheik! Sheik! Are you there?!"

Sheik recognised the voice immediately, and his heart plunged into his stomach, sinking deeper as several other voices joined the first.

Kafei had found them.

* * *

 **Continued in Part 3!**

 **(This is the second sex scene I've ever written. Did I do good?)**


	3. Found

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.**

* * *

 **Shadow and Thief  
Part 3**

* * *

"Shit," Sheik muttered under his breath. Their voices were close, and getting louder as they approached the outcrop, correctly assuming Sheik would have taken shelter here. "How'd they find this place? I thought I'd wandered way off the grid..."

Atiya didn't answer, and when Sheik looked at him the Hylian Gerudo's eyes were wide and fearful, his hand gripping the handle of his scimitar so tight his knuckles were going white. This must have been his worst nightmare, cornered by an entire team of Sheikah, all of whom were sworn to fight his kind. If Kafei and the others found out who Atiya was...then it was all over. He was starting to breathe fast, looking to Sheik with pleading eyes.

Sheik looked out of the hollow. The cliff was in the way, preventing him from seeing where exactly the rest of his team were, but their calls were increasing in volume and clarity with every moment. Not much time at all!

"Stay here," Sheik told Atiya quietly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Don't make a sound."

Atiya nodded, and Sheik took a moment to compose himself before climbing out of the hollow, wincing when a particularly sharp edge ripped through the material of his shirt, just below his ribs. Pain bloomed, and a small streak of blood was smeared on the stone. Just his luck, really.

The air outside was still cool, the sun having yet to heat up the surroundings, but Sheik could already tell the rays would be scorching hot soon enough when they hit him. Below them, the old oasis had changed considerably after the dust storm. Several of the dead trees had been broken, snapped clean off at the trunk, and new sand dunes had formed where previously the ground had been more or less flat. Atiya's pack and spear were gone, presumably buried underneath the sand, never to be seen again.

Just below him, his team were already climbing the outcrop, checking every inch for signs of their missing member. Sheik felt a little awkward, unsure of how he should announce his presence, but that choice was taken from him when he heard a gasp...oddly close. He looked directly down, spotting a very familiar head of purple hair clinging to the cliffside.

"Sheik!" Kafei exclaimed, climbing up with renewed vigour. "Guys, he's here!"

 _Damn it, too close,_ Sheik thought, realising it'd be strange to ask Kafei to climb down. He could do little else but offer his elder cousin a hand when he reached up, helping him over the edge, careful not to get scratched by the blade of the spear Kafei carried on his back.

Atiya's spear.

 _Son of a..._

"Good to see you, cousin," he offered weakly, aware it was far from the sort of greeting reserved for these occasions. Kafei was having none of it, pulling Sheik into a tight hug, squeezing so hard Sheik could swear he heard his bones creaking.

"Thank the Goddesses you're okay," Kafei muttered before drawing back, looking Sheik up and down. "You're not hurt, are you?" He eyed the newly acquired scratch his middle suspiciously.

"I'm fine," Sheik assured him. "Really, just a few scratches from climbing..."

"Ah, that's good," Kafei said, smiling in relief under his mask before rearing back and socking Sheik square in the jaw. Not hard enough to knock him down, but definitely enough to make his displeasure felt. "What the _fuck_ were you thinking, wandering off like that?! Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?! I woke up, and you weren't there! No message, no note!"

"S-Sorry," Sheik said, rubbing his jaw a little as he let Kafei draw him into another embrace, indulging his cousin's rather volatile mood swings. "There was a Yiga, and—"

"I know," Kafei said. "We found him yesterday, just before the storm hit. Tried to take him alive, but he resisted. Paya's got his mask." Only then did Sheik notice that the fifth member of their team, Paya, had something white on her belt...a mask, decorated with an upside-down version of the Sheikah eye, the porcelain splashed with red stains. Kafei shook Sheik slightly. "You went after him on your own, huh? Now what kind of idiocy was that? No food, no water..."

"I didn't think he'd be so fast," Sheik said lamely, aware it was a terrible excuse. "I wasn't...wasn't thinking. By the time he lost me, I was too far gone to find my way back."

"I'd act surprised, but I'm not," Kafei said drily, pulling back and studying Sheik closely once more. "Only you, cousin. Only you." He let go of Sheik and turned to the team below. "Secure the perimeter," he told them. "We're heading out soon!"

The other Sheikah nodded, beginning to circle the area around the outcrop, making sure it was safe. Kafei reached into his pack, withdrawing a flask of water and handing it to Sheik. "You must be parched," he said. "Drink up. We've got more."

Sheik took it and made a show of drinking from it—it'd look suspicious if he wasn't thirsty after an entire day with no water. He tried not to eye Atiya's spear too obviously. Drinking deeply, he let out of a gasp of relief that he hoped didn't sound too fake, smiling gratefully at Kafei.

"Thanks," he said. "Ran out of water yesterday." He glanced up at the spear, feigning curiosity. "That's new," he stated.

Kafei nodded, pulling the spear out and letting Sheik take a look. "Found it sticking out of the sand just over there," he said, pointing to a seemingly random dune. "Owner must have lost it recently—blade's perfectly intact and razor-sharp, and the wood is still well-oiled. You haven't seen any Gerudo around?"

 _Apart from the one I fucked last night?_ Sheik's treacherous mind supplied as a possible response, which he stamped down immediately. Instead, he shook his head. "Haven't seen anyone other than the Yiga," he replied.

"That's good," Kafei said, shoulders relaxing just a little. "We've minimised our presence here as best we could—if we're spotted in Gerudo territory, we can kiss that peace agreement goodbye." His eyes narrowed. "We can't tell Impa about this, or she'll kill us both."

"Agreed," Sheik said, carefully positioning himself so Kafei couldn't look inside the hollow. To anyone else, the darkness within would conceal Atiya, but a Sheikah could quite easily spot the hidden Gerudo. He pretended to inspect the spear, not surprised at the sheer quality of the craftsmanship. He hadn't even noticed the delicate carvings in the metal, depicting sand-like patterns. Fit for a prince, after all. "How did you find me?" he asked.

"At first, we followed your tracks," Kafei said, turning away to observe the dried oasis. "But the wind quickly erased those, forcing us to just pick a random direction and follow it. At first it seemed like we were wandering in circles, but then we found your greaves at the bottom of a dune, so we made that a sort of starting point?" He drank from his own flask, running a hand through his hair, which had come loose from the usual ponytail he kept it in. "When the storm started building, we had to abandon the search temporarily, and sought shelter in the basement of an old outpost of sorts." He pointed to the east. "About an hour's walk from here. We saw this place from a distance before the storm hit, though, so we knew where we'd search next...and here you were."

"Thank you," Sheik said. "For coming after me."

Kafei blinked. "No one gets left behind," he said. "Even when they kind of deserve to be after doing something incredibly, monumentally stupid."

Chastened, Sheik bowed his head. "I know...I'm sorry."

"I'm just relieved you're still alive," Kafei said, punching Sheik's shoulder. "Going back to Impa without you just wasn't an option—I don't even dare to think what she'd do to us then."

"I believe she still has that flensing knife of hers," Sheik said, shuddering at the memory of her sharpening it. "Been a while since she's had to use it."

"Right, well, glad I didn't give her a reason to, then," Kafei said, laughing as he turned back to Sheik, looking over his shoulder. "So, this is where you spent the night, huh?"

"Ah...yeah," Sheik said, cursing inwardly. "Little more than a hole in the wall, really. Nearly had to sleep standing up."

 _Don't look closer, don't look closer,_ he prayed. _For the love of the Goddesses, just let it go!_

"How the hell did you fit in there?" Kafei asked incredulously. "I think even Paya would have trouble squeezing inside..."

"I nearly didn't," Sheik said, pointing at his new scrape. At least it was good for something. "The less said about it, the better. It was a very embarrassing ordeal."

"Well, at least your lack of mass came in handy," Kafei said, chuckling. He turned away, and Sheik had to keep himself from breathing out in gratitude, happy that the Goddesses had, for once, heeded his prayer. "Right, let's get the hell out of here before it gets too hot to move."

"Do you know where we are?" Sheik asked. "The map wasn't very helpful..."

"We're somewhere to the south-west in the Gerudo Desert," Kafei said. "Not entirely sure of the exact position, but I figure that as long as we head east, we'll find our lines sooner or later. I think that's our best bet."

 _Atiya would know where to go_ , Sheik thought, still holding the Hylian Gerudo's spear. He wished there was a way to get it back to Atiya without drawing attention to himself, but there really was no way to leave such an exquisite weapon behind without looking suspicious. Kafei probably intended to present it to Impa as an apology for taking too long to finish their scouting mission.

"You got everything?" Kafei asked.

"All I brought with me, yeah," Sheik confirmed. All he really had to his name was his empty flask and his sword, everything else he'd either dumped or left behind in their camp.

"Reno's got the rest of your things," Kafei said. "Come on, let's go."

He went to the edge and sat down, turning around to let himself down...and paused, his gaze landing on the hollow opening. His eyes widened. "What the—?"

Sheik's heart stopped beating for a seemingly never-ending moment as Kafei climbed back up, eyes narrowing as he studied the opening in the cliff. "Is someone there?" he asked.

 _Stay quiet, stay quiet,_ Sheik thought, opening his mouth to deny it...but then he heard a quiet gasp, amplified by the rock, and he knew the jig was up.

Kafei gave Sheik a brief, narrow-eyed look before drawing his sword, pointing it at the hollow. "I know you're in there," he said loudly. "Come on out—if you're a friend you won't be harmed."

"Kafei, don't—"

"Quiet, Sheik."

Kafei's voice had gone cold, his cousin's easy-going attitude disappearing in an instant at the prospect of enemies being near. Kafei was utterly terrifying when he got like this, and Sheik found himself seizing up in the face of it.

"Well?" he asked when Atiya remained silent, and did not emerge from his hiding spot. "I'm going to have to insist you show yourself, or I'll be forced to smoke you out."

He reached into the holster on his belt, withdrawing a small, egg-sized pellet. When thrown with sufficient force, it cracked, combining two chemicals whose reaction gave off a noxious, foul-smelling smoke that caused one's eyes to sting and tear up, blinding and choking whoever was unfortunate enough to be exposed to it. It took hours to recover from it, and was thoroughly unpleasant.

"You have to the count of three," Kafei announced, rolling the pellet between his fingers. "One...two..."

"Atiya!" Sheik exclaimed. "Please...it's pointless to hide. Come out."

* * *

Sheik sounded so defeated, and as much as Atiya wanted to remain hidden, he knew the newcomer—this Kafei and apparently Sheik's cousin—would make good on his threat. Sheikah were full of tricks like that. Beating himself up, Atiya made sure his robes and turban were in order, keeping his face obscured. Kafei would see through his disguise the moment he saw Atiya's blue eyes, but that didn't mean he was going to just out himself immediately. He kept his scimitar sheathed, but visible, and said,

"I'm coming out."

"Slowly," Kafei demanded. "And keep your hands where I can see them."

"Kafei, don't—"he heard Sheik begin, but his cousin cut him off.

"Stand back, Sheik," Kafei hissed. "Paya! Get your ass up here! We've got contact!"

Blinking in the sharp light of dawn, Atiya kept his hands up as he crawled out of the hollow, finding himself being appraised by the Sheikah he presumed to be Kafei. He was taller than Sheik, with a broader build, wearing the same uniform and face mask. He had a similar blade to Sheik's—slim, and slightly curved—which was being pointed at Atiya. The most eye-catching of his features was his hair, however, which was dyed a deep purple—a sharp contrast to Sheik's blonde tresses.

"Well, what do we have here?" Kafei asked. It reminded him of the way Sheik had said it during the night...though in a wildly different context. "Atiya, is it?"

Slowly rising to his feet, Atiya nodded with a grunt.

"Want me catch me up here, cousin?" Kafei asked, not taking his eyes off Atiya. "Because I don't recall you telling me you had company."

Sheik visibly flinched, speaking slowly. "Kaf...this is Atiya. We met yesterday, when I got lost, and ended up in the middle of a horde of Leevers, and Atiya came to my rescue and found this shelter for us. I'd have been dead if it weren't for hi—her."

Atiya swallowed at Sheik's accidental slip. Again, his identity wouldn't take long to figure out, but mistakes like that would cut the already short timeframe down to size. Luckily, Kafei didn't seem to notice, nodding slowly.

"In that case, I owe you my thanks, Atiya," the older Sheikah said. "I appreciate you looking after my idiot cousin and keeping him alive."

Behind him, another Sheikah appeared over the edge of the cliff, this one female. Her hair, a shade of blonde so light it may as well have been white, was kept in a bun, crimson eyes sweeping over the group as she took in the situation.

"It was...no trouble," Atiya said, trying to make his voice sound a little higher. So far, none of them seemed to have noticed his eyes, presuming he was Gerudo from his clothes. "I am glad you found him."

 _Not so thrilled you found me as well, though,_ he added to himself.

"I take it that is yours, then?" Kafei asked, jerking his head to the spear Sheik was holding. Atiya nodded. "Right...well, I'm going to have to ask that you give me your scimitar as well, along with any other weapons you may be carrying."

The female Sheikah was slowly circling around Atiya, putting herself at his back. Her weapon wasn't drawn, but her hand lingered at the handle, ready to spring into action. Her movements were slow and deliberate, delicate in a manner that spoke of years of training. The bloody Yiga mask hanging on her belt indicated she was far from a rookie. Her eyes betrayed no emotions whatsoever, neutral as the cloth mask that covered the lower half of her face.

"Kaf, Atiya is the only reason I'm alive," Sheik tried, still gripping the spear. It wasn't much use in a close-quarters fight, but Atiya still wished he had the comforting weight of it in his hands. "Surely we can let—"

"—her go?" Kafei finished, shaking his head. "Sorry, Sheik. We can't risk her running off to report our presence to her people. We'll have to take her with us."

"What? We can't! The ceasefire—"

"Will be preserved," Kafei said. "We'll only keep her until the peace accord has been signed, and then we'll release her." He shifted his weight slightly. "That is...unless we just kill her right here, right now, and leave nothing to chance. No witnesses to our incursion. Certainly the _easiest_ option, if she won't come quietly."

Sheik's eyes widened at that, and Atiya felt his hand straying to the hilt of his scimitar, wondering if he'd be able to draw it fast enough. Possibly, but he was outnumbered. Sheik probably wouldn't fight, but Atiya didn't like his chances with one Sheikah at his front and another at his back.

"Don't even think about it," the female Sheikah said quietly. "You're not fast enough."

His hand rested on the hilt, not gripping it. The thought was tempting. If he died here, then at least he couldn't be used as leverage over Gan and the others. Sheik looked as helpless as must have felt, looking between Atiya and his cousin, the very image of indecisiveness. Atiya should draw. Atiya should fight. Atiya should die for his people.

...but he didn't want to die. He didn't want the last thing he saw to be Sheik's stricken expression. Didn't want to meet his end in the middle of nowhere, his grave unmarked and never to be found. He didn't want to just...disappear.

 _I'm a coward,_ he thought, deliberately and pointedly moving his hand away from his blade, nodding to Kafei.

"Paya, disarm her."

Deft hands swiftly removed the scimitar from Atiya's belt, tossing it at Kafei's feet. Then those same hands began to pat him down, looking for hidden weapons.

"There aren't any more—"Sheik began, but trailed off when Kafei gave him a dirty look.

"You have a lot to explain, cousin, but right now I'd like you stay quiet," Kafei warned.

The female Sheikah—Paya, presumably—continued to search Atiya for weapons, pausing slightly when her hands found his chest...and the distinct lack of certain features a Gerudo _should_ have that weren't there. She paused for but a tenth of a second, before continuing her search. To her credit, she didn't go for Atiya's crotch to confirm, but when he heard her clear her throat, he knew it was all over.

 _I should have drawn..._

"Uh, Kafei?" she said hesitantly. "We may have a situation."

"What are you talking about?"

She didn't answer verbally, but Atiya saw her hands moving rapidly in some sort of sign language. Kafei blinked in confusion, and then focused on Atiya's face...or more specifically, his eyes.

"Take your turban off," Kafei ordered. "Now."

This was it. It was all over. He could only hope they mistook him for a bandit or some other desert dweller, rather than what he truly was. Sighing, Atiya reached up and slowly unwound the cloth until it fell away, revealing his face fully. Sheik looked away, like he couldn't bear looking at him. Kafei's eyes remained narrowed, studying him closely.

"A Hylian," he said slowly, taking in every detail of Atiya's face and hair. "Or...perhaps not?"

"A bandit," Sheik said bitterly. "Nothing more."

"A bandit wouldn't have saved your life," Kafei said. "He'd kill you, strip you for valuables, and leave your corpse rotting in the sun. No...this is someone else." He stepped closer, and Atiya had to force himself not to flinch when Kafei reached out, running his hand through Atiya's hair. _"What's your name?"_ the Sheikah asked.

"A-Atiya," he replied, realising too late that Kafei hadn't asked in Common, but the Gerudo tongue...and he'd answered without thinking. Where Kafei had even managed to learn to speak it, he had no idea, but he'd used it to devastating effect.

Breath catching in his throat, Kafei stepped back, hand clenching around the handle of his sword.

"That...is unexpected," he said, pulling down his mask, a frown marring what would have been an attractive face. "I'm sorry to say it, Your Majesty, but you are now a prisoner. Please come quietly, and you won't be harmed."

* * *

Sheik felt a phantom hand squeezing his heart as he watched Atiya wordlessly surrender to them without so much as a word. His expression remained neutral, but his eyes betrayed the fear and anger within. He obeyed Kafei's instructions, climbing down the wall after them, pausing at the bottom to let Paya tie his hands behind his back with rough rope, and followed instructions as they quickly left the dried oasis behind.

He wasn't allowed near Atiya now, forced to walk between Kafei and Paya, while Kiro and Juichi kept an eye on Atiya at the back of their column. Heading in a strict eastward direction, Kafei led the way expertly, not a single misstep or accidental circling occurring. For once, Sheik's cousin actually showed the skills necessary for a field operative of his rank, his attitude completely changed.

Had he always been like this, and just _pretended_ to be the slightly goofy, laid-back older cousin Sheik had grown up with, or was he just acting like this because he realised he'd just gotten his hands on the rumoured Gerudo prince?

It was hard to tell, especially when Kafei refused to talk to him. Every time Sheik tried, he was either met with a stony silence, or found himself on the business end of a stare so calculating and strange it seemed to belong on a different person entirely. After a while, Paya simply put her hand on his shoulder, quietly telling him to stop.

Glancing back, he was unable to make eye contact with Atiya, whose gaze was firmly on his feet, looking absolutely miserable.

If only Kafei and the others had been a little slower—they might have parted ways before they were found. If only Sheik hadn't acted so suspiciously—Kafei wouldn't have had a reason to examine Atiya closer.

At some point in the morning, Paya left her position to walk beside Kafei, and they held a conversation entirely in the Sheikah sign language. It was a complex one, meant to facilitate a way to have advanced conversations without having to make a sound and give away one's position. Sheik wasn't able to read their conversation, their backs forming a solid wall preventing him from seeing what they were talking about.

 _Probably making plans on how to deliver Atiya to High Command,_ Sheik thought bitterly.

He was angry. Mostly at himself, but also at Kafei, and Atiya.

Kafei because...well, why couldn't he just look the other way, like he had on so many other occasions while they'd grown up? Why did this one time have to be the one where he decided to be a stickler for rules and follow them without question? Goddesses' sake, this was the man who'd talked his way out of a bar fight _he_ had started!

Why couldn't Atiya have remained quiet? Why'd he have to move when he _knew_ eagle-eyed Sheikah were standing just outside his hiding spot? Sheik had _told_ him to be quiet, hadn't he?!

...that wasn't fair. Kafei would probably have spotted him in there anyway. It really was a terrible hiding spot...

They walked until midday, when the temperatures began growing unbearable, and they found a small canyon-like crevice in the ground that provided them with shade. An old riverbed, possibly, or just an area exposed to floods. Didn't really matter—all they cared about was getting out of the sun.

Even now, Sheik wasn't allowed near Atiya. He was forced to recount his story to Kafei over and over, and this time he knew he couldn't leave out details...or, _most_ details. He refused to reveal they'd slept together. That just wasn't any of Kafei's business.

"You're conflicted, I get it," Kafei said, trying to sound friendly. "He saved your life, and you don't want to hand him over to High Command. You don't have to worry, though—I promise. He won't be harmed, and once Ganondorf agrees to surrender, he'll be returned—"

"He'll be a prisoner for the rest of his life," Sheik growled. "You know that as well as I. He's too valuable to let go! High Command will use him to leverage an unfair peace agreement, and then as a hostage to _keep_ that peace. At best, they'll allow a Gerudo ambassador to meet with him every now and then to confirm his wellbeing, but he'll never set foot in his homeland again!"

He couldn't keep his voice down, the unfairness of it all scratching at his nerves. He'd promised Atiya he'd be free to go...and lied to his face.

Kafei sighed, scratching his chin. He'd left his mask down, claiming he couldn't breathe in the heat. Sheik managed just fine...plus, it hid the permanent scowl he was aiming at his cousin.

"He's Hylian," Kafei said patiently. "Technically, Hyrule _is_ his homeland, regardless of who raised him—"

"Are you kidding me?!" Sheik interrupted him. "He was adopted as a _child_ —he has no memory of his parents or what little time he spent in Hyrule. As far as Atiya is concerned, he _is_ Gerudo, and taking him to Hyrule would be like...like imprisoning Princess Zelda in _their_ fortress!"

"Except Zelda isn't actually Gerudo," Kafei said, voice remarkably calm. "It will be something of a shock at first, certainly, but he'll learn and blend into Hylian society again before long—"

"Hard to do when he's a prisoner!"

Kafei sighed, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his knuckles. "Okay, I'm trying to be reasonable here, but Sheik, you have to meet me halfway, all right? There is nothing we can do about this—do you have any idea how much trouble we'll be in if we let him go? Impa's reaction will be one thing, but if High Command finds out we had the Gerudo _prince_ in our custody, and didn't bring him in? Zelda won't be able to shield us, then. It's _treason_ , Sheik. Are you truly willing to commit that for a friend?"

"He's not my friend, he's..." Sheik trailed off, looking down at the sandy ground, where his hands were clenched tightly in his lap.

The rock wall he was leaning against uneven and digging into his back, but he didn't care. The slight pain was keeping him grounded, stopping his mind from imagining the humiliation Atiya would suffer at Hyrulian hands. He'd seen what the military did to break their prisoners. Zelda tried to put a stop to it, but her influence only stretched so far during wartime, where the words and decisions of the upper-class colonels and generals were heeded above hers.

Kafei leaned in close, probably to offer more useless words of comfort, but he suddenly paused, breathing in through his nose. "Sheik," he said carefully, "what is he to you? Why would he tell a virtual stranger about his past?"

Sheik shifted uncomfortably, trying to get away, but Kafei trapped him against the wall.

"Sheik, I need you tell me everything, or I won't be able to protect you when we get home," Kafei said carefully. "There will be questions—and if we can't answer them in a satisfactory manner..."

"It's no one's business," Sheik protested, realising that Kafei could probably _smell_ what they'd been up to during the night. There was no way to cover that up without a bath!

Kafei sniffed again. "Oh, cousin," he said slowly. "You poor, sweet, damned fool."

"Fuck off!" Sheik growled, pushing him away and standing up, stomping off in no direction in particular. Luckily, Kafei didn't follow him.

* * *

Atiya felt unnerved by his Sheikah guards. They hadn't said a damned word to him since he was captured, but remained glued to his side to make sure he didn't run off. Not that Atiya planned to. He _wanted_ to, of course, but with his arms tied as they were, his chances of success were less than slim. Non-existent, really. He doubted speaking to either of them would lead to any sort of conversation, their severe looks unnerving him even more than Gan's when Atiya had done something wrong as a child.

Meanwhile, Kafei and Paya were keeping Sheik away, probably afraid he'd do something...unwise if they were allowed to interact. Smart, really. Atiya would probably have done the same, were he in their position. As it was, however, he wanted to talk to Sheik, if only to assure him that he didn't blame the other boy for this. It wasn't like Sheik had deliberately led them to their hiding spot. He certainly hadn't brought Atiya's presence to Kafei's attention—Atiya had done a fine job of that himself by spying on them through the crevice.

 _I'm sorry, Gan,_ he thought. _I guess you were right—my wandering_ did _get me into trouble after all..._

"Take a break, guys," Kafei's voice suddenly said, the man himself settling himself beside Atiya, crossing his legs beneath him. His guards nodded and immediately left, walking a respectable distance away, lounging in the shade. "They're kinda scary, huh?" Kafei said. "They do the silent-but-deadly thing pretty well out in the field; you wouldn't think they were such goofballs off-duty."

"You do not have to speak to me," Atiya said, not really in the mood to play at being friends with his captor. "I won't run."

"I know you won't," Kafei said, jovial tone remaining. "I can tell you're smart enough to know you won't survive out here without your gear. Hell, you probably know that better than me, having grown up out here."

"What do you want?" Atiya really wasn't in the mood for this...whatever it was.

Kafei groaned. "I just...wanted to thank you, again. Properly. For taking care of Sheik. If it weren't for you, he'd probably have died out here. If not from exposure, then to the Leevers. Frankly, it's a bit early for him to be out here—we're usually not committed to the field until we've acquired some experience within our own borders, but he begged and begged until he was allowed to come."

Atiya nodded slowly. He could appreciate that, at least. "As I said, it was no trouble," he said carefully. "Though now I find myself wishing I hadn't."

"Understandable," Kafei said. "That said, I want you to know one thing—by saving him, you've made yourself a friend of the Sheikah. We take life debts, and the repayment of them, very seriously. Regardless of the war, or what happens next, I swear to you that no harm will come to you while you are in our custody."

Atiya nodded. "Thank you," he said. "Though I suppose the same can't be said when I am handed over to the Hylians."

Kafei's face fell. "Ah...well..."

"I suppose I can only hope that I am too valuable for them to actually put their hands on me," Atiya said. "I assume they're well-acquainted with my brother's temper..."

"One can only hope," Kafei said with a shudder. "I have heard what happens when King Ganondorf loses his patience..." He shuffled a little closer. "And speaking of patience: forgive me, but I have run out of my own."

"Eh? What are you—"

Atiya felt himself blush when Kafei reached out and carefully pulled the collar of his robes down, exposing Atiya's throat. He couldn't see them, but the tender skin told him that Sheik's teeth and lips had left plenty of marks there for the world to see. The blush only grew worse when Kafei studied them closely.

"So...my suspicions were correct," the Sheikah said, leaning back after pulling the collar back up. "If my cousin pressured you into it, I apologise—"

"He didn't!"

Atiya hadn't meant to shout it, but he did, his voice echoing through the small canyon. The silent Sheikah looked back at them from their position, but Kafei waved them down again.

"He didn't," Atiya said again, quietly. "It was...mutual."

Kafei stared. "You are sure?"

"Yes."

A nod. "All right, then. Thank you for answering my questions, Your Majesty."

Then he was gone, leaving Atiya more than a little confused. Surely whether or not Sheik had forced him into something didn't really matter? He'd heard the horror stories about prisoners of war on either side—if his night with Sheik was the only thing of that nature that happened during his captivity, he'd consider himself lucky.

When the sun began to set, they started moving again, intending to travel as far as possible before they were forced to make camp. Kafei's sense of direction was far better than Sheik's, and as far as Atiya could tell they were actually going the correct way...though in a somewhat roundabout manner, instead of a straight line.

"Avoiding known Gerudo patrol routes," was his answer when Atiya had voiced his observation.

 _I didn't even know we had patrols going through this region,_ he thought. _There's absolutely nothing of value out here._

Soon after dark, they reached a series of rocky crags they'd have to pass through before reaching the front lines, and the fragile, temporary border between Hyrule and the Gerudo Desert. Atiya felt his chest clenching when he realised where they were, knowing that captivity was all that awaited on the other side of those hills.

He was surprised when, instead of rushing for the finish line, Kafei elected for them to make camp in the shelter of a natural cave.

"He can't see as well in the dark as we can," Kafei reasoned. "One wrong step, and he could fall and break his neck. I don't know about you, but I'd rather bring this particular prisoner back alive."

Sound reasoning, Atiya supposed, but he still would have taken the chance since he knew for a fact that this _was_ an area the Gerudo patrolled fairly regularly.

The temperature was dropping rapidly, and it would soon be too cold to stay outside. A small fire was built at the very end of the cave, so far in the light couldn't be seen from the outside. A guard was posted near the entrance, to keep an eye out for enemy patrols. If need be, they could break up camp and be out of the area in minutes, apparently.

They didn't waste any time cooking. Instead, more of the ration bars Sheik had shared with him that morning were passed out among them. Atiya was offered one as well, Paya suggesting she could feed him, but he thanked her no. He wasn't hungry. Despair was starting to build within him as he realised he was a mere short climb away from the border, and the cage they'd stick him in.

He'd never again wake up to the scents of the market back home, the sounds of his sisters arguing about everything and nothing. He'd never again get to hunt alongside his brother, or spar in the training yard, perfecting his swordplay. He'd never play chess with Nabooru, or hear Aveil's poetry, or play hide and seek with Riju.

Before he knew it, tears were rolling down his cheeks, and short, hitching breaths were wracking his frame as he sat by the cave entrance, staring out into the desert that had been his home for as long as he could remember, the shining stars above turning into a blurry mess.

The current guard—Juichi?—looked uncomfortable, and torn between saying something or staying silent. To Atiya's embarrassment, he felt bad for the Sheikah, which only made him feel even more miserable. Why was he feeling bad for his captors, who were the ones taking him _away_ in the first place?!

Luckily, Juichi's misery ended soon enough, as Paya appeared behind them, tapping Juichi's shoulder. "Shift change," she said gently, handing her companion a steaming mug of something. Judging by the scent, it was coffee. "Aren't you cold?" she asked moments later, once Juichi was gone.

"Not...really..." Atiya managed to say, realising he couldn't get any more pathetic if he kept crying with Paya there. "This is...nothing."

"Hm," Paya said, shivering slightly. "I could never get used to cycles like these—so hot during the day, and so cold in the night." She'd pulled down her mask, revealing a young, gentle-looking face. Probably no older than twenty, if even that.

"It's about...preparedness," Atiya said, finally convincing his eyes to stop leaking, forcing his misery down for later, when he was alone.

"Well," she said, smiling, "I suppose Sheik learned that lesson yesterday."

To his surprise, Atiya couldn't help but laugh at that. "I certainly hope he did," he said. "Or your commander should consider deploying him elsewhere..."

"I believe she already is, now that we're late for the rendezvous," the white-haired Sheikah said, drumming her fingers on her knees. "I suppose Kafei has already said so, but...we appreciate what you did for Sheik. I can't imagine anyone being willing to sick their neck out for a blood-eye, especially not a sworn enemy."

"I only did the decent thing," Atiya said. "What anyone would do in our situation." He shifted uncomfortably, his muscles beginning to knot from the position he was forced in because of his bindings.

"Not really," Paya said, shaking her head. She noticed his discomfort and, after a moment's hesitation, pulled out her dagger and cut the rope. "Better?" she asked.

"Much," he said, nodding. "Thank you...but..."

"Why would I do that?" she finished for him. "Well, I don't like what we're about to do, and anything that can make it easier for you...well, a little kindness never hurt anyone, did it? You're smart enough to know that running off without weapons or supplies of any sort is a bad idea right now, so..."

He agreed with her there. He could, technically, take off at a run and _possibly_ leave Paya behind. He'd seen the way the Sheikah handled walking in sand—clumsy at best. In a life-or-death situation, he could outrace them...but then what? Even if he did manage to lose them, he was still in the middle of a particularly arid part of the Gerudo Desert, with no food, no water, no weapons with which to hunt or defend himself with...basically a dead man walking, unless he happened upon a patrol, which were few and far between.

No, running off right now was probably the stupidest thing he could do.

"You've made quite an impression on Sheik," Paya said, suddenly. "He's always been...passionate about things, but I have never seen him argue so fiercely with Kafei. He cares about you a great deal."

"He's...a good man," Atiya said carefully. Had they figured out just how far their first meeting had gone? Was this some sort of _talk_ , or subtle threat for defiling their teammate?

"He is," Paya agreed with a nod. "I doubt he'll let this matter go, even when we cross the border. Whatever may happen, you know you can count on him, right?"

"However long he will be around," Atiya said, smiling a little. "Which probably won't be long. You are handing me off to the military, are you not? I doubt they will let him stay with me."

"Probably not," Paya said, smiling back, though a little more sadly. "Which is why I figured I'd let the two of you say goodbye now...in private."

"Eh?"

"You heard me," she said, standing up and patting his shoulder carefully. "I'll give you two a moment." She went back into the cave, leaving Atiya to stare after her...and then return his gaze to the open desert in front of him. The urge to run was strong...

...and if he was going to run...he wanted to say goodbye first.

* * *

"Sheik?"

He woke up to find Paya looking down at him, her voice a mere whisper in his ear. "Mwhat?" he asked groggily.

"We'll reach the meeting point tomorrow," she said, still whispering. Around them, Kafei, Juichi, and Kiro asleep on their bedrolls, circled around the fire. "There won't be much time for the two of you to talk." She nodded towards the cave entrance. "Perhaps you should say what needs to be said now?"

"What needs to be said?" Sheik repeated, sleep still mussing up his thoughts something fierce.

"Don't be daft, cousin," she said, tapping his nose lightly. "I know you far better than you think. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Go on."

She helped him to his feet, and then took a seat by the fire on his bedroll, pulling out one her daggers and a whetstone, immediately getting to work on sharpening it, paying him no heed even when he stared at her for a good minute.

 _She's not just fucking with me, then? And what the hell did she mean by that?_

Clearly, no answer was going to be had from her any time soon. Sighing, he supposed she was just being kind, as she always was, and actually _did_ want them to speak before Atiya was made a prisoner of Hyrule. Sheik was surprised by how eager he was to do just that.

As he headed for the cave entrance, which was behind a small bend, he realised something was off. There was a pack leaning against the wall, along with Atiya's spear and sheathed scimitar. Just sitting there. They hadn't before, when Sheik had gone to sleep, plagued by guilt. Narrowing his eyes, he looked back at Paya, whose back was turned, still working away at sharpening her dagger. One of Paya's greatest weaknesses was her inability to lie convincingly. In the field, it was a damn liability sometimes, but then...in times like these...well, she could also turn it into a strength.

Quiet as he could, he grabbed the pack and Atiya's weapons and hurried past the bend, finding the Hylian Gerudo sitting at the entrance, watching the desert in abject misery.

"Hey," he said quietly.

Atiya tensed slightly, but didn't turn to look at him. "Hey," said, his voice thick and rough. He must have been crying recently. It made Sheik feel even worse for dragging him into this...but hopefully he'd redeem himself now.

"You okay?" Sheik asked.

"Not really," Atiya said, still not looking at him. "But...if the Hylians are even half as nice as you and Paya...I think I _will_ be eventually."

"She's pretty great, yeah," Sheik agreed. "But I think you'll like her even more after this." Crouching next to Atiya, he carefully placed the pack next to the Hylian Gerudo.

"What are you...?" Atiya began, pausing when he noticed not only the pack, which turned out to be filled with more ration bars as well as a full flask of water, but also his weapons. "Sh-Sheik?" he asked.

"As much as I want to talk about this, I'd rather not waste any time," Sheik said, pulling Atiya to his feet, realising his bindings were long gone, nothing more than discarded pile of rope at Atiya's feet. He handed Atiya the pack first, waiting for the Hylian Gerudo to heft it over his shoulder, then his scimitar.

"This is...won't they pursue?" Atiya asked.

"Not for a while yet—Paya's staying quiet," Sheik assured him, practically thrusting the spear into Atiya's hand once he'd placed the scimitar in his belt.

"But...you're committing treason—"

"Eh."

"You could be executed," Atiya hissed, refusing to move when Sheik pushed at him.

"I'm the Sheikah prince," Sheik said cheekily, his chest feeling lighter than it had all day. "I'll be chewed out, but not executed, I'm sure."

Atiya looked hesitantly between Sheik and the open desert, the conflict in his face as clear as day. In the pale moonlight, Sheik could see the tear streaks on Atiya's face.

"Atiya, I will be fine, I swear," he said, continuing to push at the Hylian Gerudo, who finally began to move, taking a hesitant step into freedom. "This is your only chance!"

Someone coughed inside the cave, and a voice spoke.

Sheik's patience snapped like a dry twig, and he immediately grabbed Atiya's arm, dragging the taller boy out of the cave with him, taking off at a run in the opposite direction of the border, ignoring how freezing it was outside, how his chest soon started to hurt from the exertion of the flat-out sprint, how his feet kept slipping in the sand. All he saw was the moonlit desert, and the starry sky above. Behind him, Atiya was breathing heavily, but managed to keep pace with him, his equipment rustling with each step.

Only when it felt like his lungs were about to explode did Sheik slow down, letting himself double over and just _breathe_ until the taste of blood disappeared from his mouth. Next to him, Atiya was doing pretty much the same thing, leaning against his spear.

"You're...crazy..." Atiya said with a snort once he'd caught his breath. "Second time...you've run...off without...a plan..."

"What can I...say?" Sheik said, grinning. "I'm just...full of...bad ideas..."

That made Atiya laugh, loudly and brightly, and Sheik found himself enjoying the sound a lot more than he probably should. Hell, he liked _Atiya_ a lot more than he should, even for a lover for the night. This was far from the moment to explore those thoughts any further, however. Any moment, now, Kafei would realise what had happened and give chase. Sheik loved his cousin, but he had no doubt that duty would win out this time.

Sheik couldn't let it.

The flask appeared in the tunnel of his vision, and he took it gratefully, taking as large a sip as he dared, knowing it was going to have to last Atiya for a while.

"Thank you," Atiya said, stuffing the flask back into his pack. "I...I really don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," Sheik assured him. "I just want you to—"

Atiya had ideas of his own, however. He stepped closer and unceremoniously yanked Sheik's mask down, kissing him soundly. For someone so inexperienced, Atiya certainly knew how to make Sheik's knees feel weak, and he groaned when the Hylian Gerudo's tongue was the one to demand entrance this time. He let it.

He wasn't sure how long the kiss was, but he was out of breath once more when it ended, their faces flushed.

"Well...that works, too," Sheik said, aware he was grinning like an absolute idiot.

"I had a feeling it would," Atiya said, an equally stupid smile splitting his lips.

For a long moment, they stared into each other's eyes, neither willing to break it off. Once they separated here, they'd never meet again. They both knew this. Even if they somehow managed to arrange something, it was far too dangerous.

"You should go," Sheik forced himself to say. "Before they come after us."

"Yeah," Atiya said, nodding. "But...I just want to...I..."

"I know what you're trying to say," Sheik said, kissing him again, for the last time. "And I feel the same way. Now go."

Slowly, Atiya took a step, facing away from him. He turned back to look at Sheik closely, as if committing him to memory. "I'll let my sisters know they were wrong about the Sheikah," he said. "Gan, even."

"Just do me a favour and stay in the city for a while, yeah?" Sheik said, waving him off. He never had been fond of long goodbyes. "We'll be looking for you, now."

A nod, and then Atiya was off, running into the darkness.

In the end, neither of them managed to say goodbye.

Sheik remained where he stood, watching Atiya's retreating form until he disappeared among the dunes, and then counted inwardly to a thousand. He wasn't sure if it was enough time for Atiya to disappear, but he had a feeling the Hylian Gerudo would find it far easier to give them the slip now that he knew where they'd be coming from.

He made sure to take his time walking back to the cave, doing his best to wipe out his and Atiya's footprints in the sand, hoping to make it a little more ambiguous as to which direction the prince had gone. He'd expected to feel sad to see Atiya go, which he did, but more overwhelming was the relief and happiness that he'd gotten away. There'd be hell to pay for this, he knew, but he was more than willing to face it.

He paused when he saw someone waiting at the mouth of the cave, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. They were too tall to be Paya, so...yes, Kafei had discovered what was afoot. His mask was up, watching Sheik quietly until he was standing in front of him.

"You ran off again," Kafei said quietly. "I thought we'd talked about this."

"Y-Yes, but Atiya...he..."

Kafei blinked slowly, and then turned his gaze to the desert. "Got away, did he? Oh deary, deary me," he said in a dull voice. "What an absolutely unexpected and confounding outcome, damn it all. I am filled with rage, and wrath, and so on and so forth. It would appear our prisoner fooled us all, outthinking us at every turn at the very last step of our long journey. Damnation."

Sheik gave him an unimpressed look. "You fucking knew," he said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Placing his hand over his chest, Kafei gave him a hurt look. "Why, cousin, are you accusing me of having a hand in committing treason by accidentally leaving a pack full of supplies and weapons near a prisoner? Why, I have never been so hurt. _Never_."

"I thought that was Paya," he hissed, annoyed that Kafei had pulled one over him.

"Nah, she took care of the ropes, that's all. Share the blame, and all that."

Sheik groaned in frustration. "Idiots—I'm surrounded by idiots! Why the lies?"

"What lies?" Kafei asked. "Up until this afternoon, I fully intended to bring him back."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Eh, this and that, not really important." Kafei pulled his mask down, giving Sheik a grin and a wink. "Anyway, you know what happens now, right?"

"We go home, report to Impa that—"

"Absolutely nothing of importance whatsoever happened," Kafei finished for him. "Well, we found a Yiga spy and eliminated him, but that's about it. The delay was caused by us giving chase after said spy. No Gerudo forces or individuals were encountered, meaning our mission was a success...or so I hope. Can we trust him to keep his mouth shut?"

"Yes," Sheik said without hesitation. "But...if Impa finds out about this—"

"She won't, because none of this ever happened, right?"

"Well...no..."

"Good, glad we agree," Kafei said, patting his shoulder. "Now, since Paya nearly fell asleep with her head in the fire, I'd say it's your turn to keep watch. I'll be back in a couple of hours to relieve you."

"O-Okay," Sheik said. His mind hadn't really caught up with what had just happened yet, so he decided it was best to just go along with it for now. Taking a seat by the entrance, he waited until the sound of Kafei's footsteps stopped, and then let out a breath that took all the tension in him with it.

They'd made it. Atiya was free. Sheik hadn't had a damn thing to do with it, but the end result was what he'd wanted, and he wasn't about to start complaining that Kafei and Paya had acted without letting him know.

He felt another squeeze around his heart, unsure if it was from relief or pain that Atiya was gone. Possibly both. Very likely, actually.

Sitting down in a meditative position, he took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. It had been a busy forty-eight hours, and he definitely needed some time to process it all. He ignored the way he kept smiling whenever he thought Atiya—probably because the Hylian Gerudo in question did the same thing when thinking of him.

And that wasn't half-bad.

* * *

It took about half a day before Atiya spotted the cloud of dust rapidly moving in his direction, and felt the vibrations of dozens of hooves thundering across the ground.

Weary to the bone, both physically and emotionally, he decided to rest for a bit, taking a seat in the shade of a dune, finishing off one of the ration bars the Sheikah had given him. The taste was, as Sheik said, not the best, but they were incredibly filling.

He also needed the time to brace himself, because if that patrol was led by the person he suspected...well, he was in for it.

Soon enough (too soon, really) the dust cloud turned into a mounted patrol, seven Gerudo warriors riding in a wedge formation. Atiya had climbed higher onto the dun, hoping he was visible enough. He was.

The patrol came to a halt directly below him, the lead warrior practically hurling herself out of the shadow and climbing the dune. Atiya met her halfway, smiling when Nabooru tore her turban off, giving him a worried look.

"Atiya, are you well?!" she asked, studying him closely for signs of injuries. "When you did not return yesterday, and the storm—"

"Ru, I'm fine," he said, smiling at her. "A little tired and sore, but otherwise fine, I—"

Her palm struck his cheek, stinging as wickedly as it always did, before she hugged him fiercely.

"Don't you _ever_ disappear like that again, understand?!" she hissed into his ear. "Have you any idea how worried the king is?"

"When isn't he?" Atiya said gently, hugging her back. "I am fine, I promise."

"You nearly weren't," Nabooru said, pulling away, only to take his hand and gently lead him towards the horses. The other Gerudo raised their spears and bowed their heads in greeting. Atiya returned the gesture. They'd been worried too. "Our scouts reported a clash between Yiga and Sheikah forces in the area yesterday. If any of them had found you..."

"But they didn't," Atiya said, shaking his head. "I wasn't in any danger, Ru. I know how to hide."

She sighed. "Perhaps, but with the ceasefire so fragile...I dare not think what would happen if Hyrule managed to discover you."

 _I got a taste of it just yesterday,_ he thought, letting her help him into the saddle of her horse with a minimum of eye-rolling. He could easily do it himself, but she usually insisted—had since he was a child. She climbed up behind him after handing his spear and pack to one of the warriors, taking the reins.

"Would it help if I promised to stay within the city walls until the peace agreement has been signed?" Atiya asked.

"That it would, Iya," Nabooru agreed, ordering the patrol about, turning them westwards, homebound. "I'd also like to know," she said sweetly into his ear once they were moving, "where the hell you got a Sheikah pack from. As would our brother, I'm sure."

 _...fuck, I was so close!_

* * *

 **Six Months Later**

* * *

The ceremonial signing of the Hyrule-Gerudo Peace Accord was held at in a newly built inn resting directly on the newly established border between the two nations. The negotiations had been long, and tensions had run high, but in the end, it was agreed that the Gerudo would take possession of a narrow strip of agriculturally viable land that once belonged to Hyrule, as a way for the Gerudo to not have to resort to thievery or raiding nearby villages for valuables.

This strip of land was far from the most fertile, and mattered little to the overall food stores of Hyrule, but to the Gerudo it would make a world of difference...and the nobles and military of Hyrule had been against giving them even that.

Luckily, Princess Zelda had more or less forced their hand by asking the public whether they'd accept a lasting, stable peace with their western neighbours in exchange for a paltry few square miles of farmland, or if they wanted more instability and possible wars in the future.

The public had voted in favour of peace.

And so, Sheik found himself standing next to his aunt, Impa, flanking Princess Zelda, as they watched the Gerudo procession filing into the main hall of the inn, a room large enough to host a ball if the owners so wished. Dignitaries from both nations lined the walls of the room—nobles and military officers, warriors and merchants. Each side eyed the other nervously.

The Peace Accord had already been signed weeks ago, of course. This was just a ceremony—a spectacle put on for the common folk. Still, the peace was a new one, and it would take quite some time before either side wouldn't regard the other with a little suspicion.

But that was what this ceremony was for. To start the healing. And what else could start the healing better than signing a meaningless piece of paper, and then a roaring party?

Someone gasped when four heavily armoured Gerudo warriors, covered head to toe in plate armour polished to such a sheen they nearly hurt to look at, marched inside the hall. The King's Honour Guard, armed with formidable-looking axes that could easily cleave a person in half. An intimidating sight, only the very best of the Gerudo warriors were chosen for the position.

They were followed by King Ganondorf himself. Unlike his guards, he was unarmed, and only wearing his traditional robes, as a show of faith. Princess Zelda was the same way, wearing a simple, dark purple dress. If there was fighting to be done, it'd be carried out by the Gerudo Honour Guard, and Zelda's Sheikah bodyguards.

The King had a serious expression on his face, golden eyes surveying the room carefully, as if looking for hidden traps or assassins. Which was fair. The Sheikah had tried to assassinate him before—and failed. No such attempts were afoot today...or so he'd been told.

Zelda began to recite a long, rehearsed speech that Sheik had heard so many times now that _he_ could probably give it for her, welcoming the Gerudo King, saying how happy she was their nations could come to an agreement and blah blah blah.

Sheik focused instead on the various guests in the room, keeping an eye out for potential troublemakers or assassins. For once, it actually seemed like _both_ sides had committed to a lasting peace, and all he could see were hopeful smiles and nervous glances. Important people everywhere, especially among the noble ranks. Sheik never could remember their names, the only difference between them all being the level of dullness in their personalities.

Among the Gerudo, he recognised several faces he'd seen at the peace negotiations of the past few months. Nabooru, the king's advisor. Urbosa, the—frankly—giant warrior in charge of Ganondorf's military, Aveil, who was something of a diplomatic attaché to Nabooru...

...and someone he didn't recognise. They were standing in a small huddle, flanked by a pair of Honour Guards. Nabooru seemed to be having a hushed conversation with them, looking a little nervous. Her head was in the way, though, so Sheik couldn't get a good look at them. He pointed this unknown out to Impa, who in turn whispered into Zelda's ear after failing to get a good look herself.

It was rude, bringing someone unknown to such an occasion without introducing them. Sheik could only hope they weren't a threat, and that Ganondorf hadn't been stupid enough to purposefully insult Hyrule by doing this.

It was a long ceremony, with several speeches being fired back and forth before both monarchs finally put their names on the unreasonably large piece of paper that symbolised the Peace Accord. The entire time, the unknown individual remained frustratingly out of sight, always hidden from view by various Gerudo.

Luckily, Zelda's patience was wearing thin as well, as she turned to Ganondorf after the initial round of applause after signing the document, and saying,

"Your Grace, I could not help but notice a new face among your retinue. Might I be so bold as to request an introduction?"

Ganondorf, to Sheik's surprise, seemed hesitant. He exchanged several looks with not only Nabooru, but Urbosa and Aveil, as well as the mystery individual, before he cleared his throat.

"Of course, Your Grace," he replied. "It is long past the time for me to introduce the two of you. Please, allow me to introduce to you, and all of Hyrule, my little brother: Atiya, Prince of the Gerudo."

Sheik's breath caught in his throat as Atiya emerged from the group of Gerudo, an absolutely lovely smile on his face. Unlike the outfit he'd worn in the desert, here he wore robes to match Ganondorf's, though his were a light blue as opposed to the king's dour, earthen-coloured ones.

His hair, fiery red, was done up in a series of complicated-looking braids that could rival the Sheikah in difficulty, his lovely, pointed ears decorated with blue and green gemstone-studded rings. A ruby circlet marked his relationship to the Gerudo, the large gemstone resting squarely in the middle of his forehead.

"Close your mouth, nephew," Impa whispered to him without moving her lips, somehow still able to see Sheik's reaction (beneath his mask, no less!) while clearly absolutely flabbergasted at the appearance of the rumoured Gerudo prince...out of nowhere.

Really, the entire room seemed to be in a state of shock. Sheik was, too. Why on earth had the Gerudo suddenly decided to reveal Atiya's existence when they'd guarded it so carefully in the past? Another show of good faith? But surely they realised that exhibiting a previously unknown prince of _Hylian_ descent at this particular meeting was...well, ill-advised...unless there was a plan to this.

Sheik closed his mouth, watching Atiya bow deeply to the Princess, and then to the room in general, still smiling brilliantly. "It is an honour to meet you, Princess," Atiya said. "I am Prince Atiya of the Gerudo."

Zelda smiled, Sheik could tell she was just as surprised as everyone else. She was aware of the rumours, of course, but hadn't believed them. She exchanged the usual words of pleasantry between fellow nobles, having undoubtedly noticed by now that he did not possess the distinctive golden eyes of his people.

"As you can see," Ganondorf said, "Prince Atiya is of Hylian descent. He was discovered by the Gerudo sixteen years ago, and though we attempted to return him to his people, we found none willing to even speak with us. We decided then to make him a part of our tribe, and raise him in the hopes that he could, one day, act as a link between our two peoples, to further foster friendship and understanding, and build the bridges to the bright future that lies ahead of us. That process begins today, with the signing of this Accord."

For a moment, no one knew how to react to this. Even Sheik, who'd known about Atiya, was surprised by Ganondorf's words, which were clearly heartfelt and genuine, judging by how happy Atiya looked as he said them.

Sheik was afraid this would end in blood. With accusations of kidnapping and subterfuge, of slavery. The military was notoriously quick to make such claims. But it was Zelda who reacted first, stepping forward to take Atiya's hands in her own, smiling just as widely back at him.

"Your words are beautiful, Your Grace," she told Ganondorf. "And they ring true—I, too, hope that this young man can be the connection between Hyrule and the Gerudo that we've sorely needed. I very much look forward to seeing the future we can build together."

The room began to cheer, Hylian and Gerudo alike. He felt Impa nudging his side.

"I assume you have a story to tell me, nephew?" she asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sheik said, unable to take his eyes off Atiya, who was being introduced to the Hyrulian High Command, some of whom looked uncomfortable at the idea of speaking to Atiya...but their doubts seemed to melt away the moment the boy began to speak.

Sheik couldn't hear him, but didn't need to. He was instantly cheered by the mere sight of him.

Impa groaned. "I'm going to kill Kafei, I swear..."

Ah, Kafei and his big fucking mouth.

"Want me to sharpen your flensing knife?" he asked.

"I'll do it myself," she said. "I'm going to check the perimeter guards. Stay with the Princess, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, feeling a pang of worry for Kafei. He was on perimeter duty.

He'd been assigned to Zelda's guard detail soon after they'd returned from the desert half a year before. They hadn't mentioned the Gerudo prince, of course, going with the Yiga story instead. Impa had believed it, and then claimed Sheik wasn't ready for that sort of active duty, deploying him at home instead, his assignment now to protect Princess Zelda.

It was not a position that saw much action. The Sheikah security network was good enough to catch any potential threats long before they got close enough to make an attempt on Zelda's life. Presumably that was why Impa had assigned Sheik to it—to keep him out of trouble. She hadn't said that, of course, claiming instead that she didn't trust him not to run off like a damned fool again, and that she wanted to keep him under her thumb for a while yet.

Impa had a strange way of showing she cared.

Still, the position had its perks. He'd gotten to know Princess Zelda a lot better—and she turned out to be the exact opposite of what he'd assumed her to be. Far from stuffy, entitled and obnoxious, she was bubbly, a little clumsy, easily excited...and always there to ask a never-ending series of questions about Sheik, the Sheikah, and just about everything.

It hadn't taken long for her to consider the two of them friends. Sheik was not opposed to that description.

His musing was cut short as he suddenly found himself being pulled forward—Zelda's hand gripping his lower arm firmly, dragging him to stand in front of Atiya.

"Prince Atiya, I would like to introduce a dear friend of mine," she said. "This is Sheik, of the Sheikah."

Sheik was certain his eyes looked like they were about to fall out of his head, so wide were they. His mouth opened and closed a few times, failing to make a single sound.

At least Atiya seemed just as surprised, though his shock didn't last nearly as long. Smiling he bowed his head to Sheik, who realised _he_ should have bowed _first_!

"A pleasure, Master Sheik," Atiya said, a faint blush colouring his cheeks.

Sheik bowed hurriedly himself, incredibly relieved his mask was covering his own burning cheeks. "The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty!" he all but bellowed at the prince.

Zelda, all smiles, didn't seem to notice the awkward greeting, nor how nervously the prince's Honour Guards were hovering behind him, as if they were expecting the nearest Hylian (that is, Zelda) to grab their prince and run off.

"The prince and I were just making arrangements for an extended visit to Hyrule," Zelda said. "He suggested that, in the spirit of cooperation, that his guard retinue should include both Gerudo and Sheikah warriors. I figured it'd be best to get the Sheikah's opinion on it, but Impa seems to have disappeared for the moment. What do you say, Sheik?"

He didn't really have the authority to make any such arrangements, but when Atiya gave him the _smile_ , the one he'd given Sheik upon awakening in their little hollow after the storm, he found himself only able to nod along.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I'm sure we can come to an...arrangement."

"I look forward to it," Atiya said, his grin turning a little wicked.

 _Goddesses, I am_ so _screwed!_

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
